Community members on the Bass Coast, Bunurong Country, are sounding the alarm about climate impacts on the coast.
Inverloch’s surf beach is under serious threat from rising sea levels and intensifying storm surges. The coastline has been eroded by up to 70 metres in the last 10 years, sweeping away half of the vegetated dunes and the habitat they provide.
The Wreck Creek estuarine lagoon system is at risk from further dune breakthroughs and 80-year-old coastal banksias are being undermined and falling into the ocean at Flat Rocks.
Without appropriate protection, the remaining dunes will most likely be lost in a few years, leaving Surf Parade and adjoining residences vulnerable and the future of the surf beach uncertain.
While a long-term coastal adaptation plan is being developed through the Victorian government’s Cape to Cape Resilience Project, there is no committed funding for either short-term dune protection or long-term adaptation action.
Will you call on governments to protect community infrastructure and dune ecosystems from climate impacts?
NOTE: This is a joint petition of the South Gippsland Conservation Society and Friends of the Earth. Signatories will be shared with the South Gippsland Conservation Society.