The majority of people on the Sunshine Coast live on a narrow strip of land immediately behind the coastline. Much of the development has taken place in close proximity to beaches and dunes that have historically waxed and waned with storm and flood events. These processes now threaten homes and community infrastructure as well as the beaches and dunes we’ve come to love.
As the impacts of climate change start to be felt coastal communities around the globe will have to make difficult decisions about how to manage shorelines and at what cost homes and community facilities should be protected or whether other responses might be more appropriate.