Why is council involvement in coastal zone management important?
Councils play a significant role in coastal zone management. Councils are a major land manager of reserves, parkland and picnic areas. Some councils also participate in land ‘buyback’ arrangements, where they purchase ecologically significant areas to place them under protection. Councils also have responsibility for planning controls and associated regulatory responsibility. Councils are responsible for vegetation management and biodiversity conservation on public areas. They may be responsible for implementing state legislation or they may have their own council bi-laws to manage vegetation and biodiversity, such as tree preservation orders. Councils are a large provider of infrastructure which can have a significant impact on the quality of the natural resource base, social issues in the area, and traffic congestion. In many areas, councils are responsible for the management of the water cycle infrastructure and provision. The provision of potable water, sewerage and stormwater serv
