Adapting to climate-induced sea level rise on the Gold Coast: lessons from the Netherlands

Abstract

Sea level rise poses significant risks to the Gold Coast, which is particularly vulnerable to coastal retreat,inundation and flooding. Drawing on policy transfer literature as the conceptual framework, this paper aims to draw lessons from the Netherlands, as an exemplar of adaptive flood management, to inform the future direction of adaptation to sea level rise on the Gold Coast. On both the Gold Coast and in the Netherlands, the traditional approach taken to adapt to sea level rise has been characterised by a structural approach to protect properties through flood defences. However, the Dutch Government has recently acknowledged the need to adopt a proactive approach to water management and accommodate water through spatial planning initiatives to minimise long-term risk from climate change. From the Dutch experience, three important lessons can be drawn: (1) the need to use spatial planning to accommodate water; (2) the need to adopt a proactive approach to climate adaptation; and (3) the importance of a strong centralised approach to water management. As the current adaptation framework in the Netherlands reflects centuries of experimenting with flood mitigation, these lessons should be of particular interest to Australian planners and policy-makers.