Ocean beaches have an iconic place in Australian identity and culture, and this region is no exception, with South Australia’s longest beach - the Coorong - providing so many wild ways and remote places to enjoy it.

Many uses mean many users, who don’t always agree. Understanding these different perspectives is the aim of a project at the Coorong Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre (CLLMMRC), which is exclusively focusing on ocean-side environments at Goolwa and the Coorong. 

Ocean beach ecology and threats: a stakeholder perspective is led by Associate Professor Craig Styan and a team from Adelaide University conducting research that includes community feedback.

He acknowledges the recent experience of the algal bloom focused attention on local ocean beaches and how and why people engage with them.

“The restricted access to ocean beaches brought home just what they mean to us. It’s a prompt to find out what and how we monitor conditions, and what adaptions we may need to make if we are to continue engaging with these special spaces in the face of climate change-induced impacts such as rising sea levels and temperatures, and beach erosion,” he says.

This project has three phases, and the local community can participate in Phase 2 over the summer by completing a survey. Interviews with stakeholders will provide further data to identify and map areas of greatest use, and the ones which people value most.

‘We want to know why and how users engage with this environment, what they like and value, the benefits they get from the beaches, and any perceived threats,” Craig says.

The project also aims to get a greater feel for what users do and don’t know about the potential impacts of their actions, now and in a changing climate.

Project outcomes will provide a better understanding of how ocean beaches are used and valued and give managing agencies – including different layers and agencies of government, many community organisations, NGOs and specialist user groups - crucial insight and information to preserve such a crucial natural and cultural resource – the beach.

To complete the short survey, visit the CLLMM website. Or pick up a hard copy from the CLLMM Research Centre, Level 1/92 Barrage Rd, Goolwa South.

Based in Goolwa, the Coorong Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre (CLLMM RC) works collaboratively with First Nations, and community organisations on projects that investigate the significant challenges posed by climate change throughout the region.