coastal planning policies and management plans in australia

the australian coastline is about 36 700 kilometers long. it is estimated that about 86 per- cent of 's total population, including nearly half of the nation's indigenous people live within coastal zone.this coastal area contains a wide range of climatic, geological and oceanographic regions which house a very rich store of biological diversity. this coastal zone contains the largest area of coral reefs and the third-largest area of mangroves of any nation. based on the significance of these vulnerable ecosystems and following the international acceptance of the need to improve coastal management practices, coastal management in has been improved over late 20^th century at both commonwealth and state levels.the presented paper demonstrates an overview of the hierarchy levels of coastal planning and management in .