Nature-based Solutions
Nature-based solutions use natural systems such as mangroves, reefs, wetlands and dunes to protect coastlines, improve biodiversity and build long-term climate resilience. They are becoming a leading approach in environmental engineering because they strengthen ecosystems, reduce erosion, support wildlife and provide natural buffers that adapt over time.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council is working with partners to develop local NBS projects, including a major coastal restoration effort at Oyster Point, Cardwell. In partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, OzFish, James Cook University, JBP Pacific and CASPA, Council is trialling a living shoreline that combines oyster reefs, mangroves and seagrass restoration to stabilise the coast, improve habitat and protect community assets.
Sand Nourishment
Sand nourishment is a soft-engineering approach used to restore and maintain beaches by placing compatible sand back into areas affected by erosion. Rather than relying on hard structures like sea walls or rock revetments, sand nourishment works with natural coastal processes, supporting healthier beaches and more resilient shorelines.
In the Cassowary Coast, nourishment sites are identified through the Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) and Shoreline Erosion Management Plans, ensuring that works occur where they are most effective. Nourishing a beach helps absorb wave energy during storms, protects foreshore vegetation and infrastructure, and maintains beach access and amenity for the community.
By reinforcing our beaches naturally, sand nourishment reduces the need for expensive hard-infrastructure solutions and helps preserve the coastal environments and recreational spaces that our region values.
Seagrass and Mangroves
Mangroves and seagrass meadows are key “blue carbon” ecosystems for the Cassowary Coast, helping stabilise shorelines, support fisheries and store carbon. Recent JCU research shows mangroves along the Reef coast from Cairns to Gladstone are experiencing widespread damage from sea-level rise and cyclones, while also identifying local restoration priorities. Seagrass restoration led by JCU TropWATER is underway at sites such as Mourilyan Harbour, where volunteers assist with meadow recovery.
In the Wet Tropics, MangroveWatch partners Traditional Owners, community groups and scientists to assess mangrove and saltmarsh condition and turn long-term monitoring into practical management actions. Across the Cassowary Coast, this information is informing community and Traditional Owner–led projects along vulnerable shorelines. Council works closely with these groups to ensure monitoring and restoration align with our coastal planning priorities.
Traditional Owners, including the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation and Mandubarra Land & Sea Inc, lead seagrass and dugong monitoring in Hinchinbrook Channel using drone, helicopter and boat surveys with support from JCU TropWATER and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Council recognises this Indigenous-led monitoring as essential to long-term coastal and marine management.
If you would like to get involved in mangrove or seagrass monitoring or contribute to local restoration projects, contact Council’s Natural Environment and Sustainability team, or follow MangroveWatch and local Traditional Owner Ranger groups updates for volunteer opportunities and community events.