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Role
of the Board
The Central Coastal
Board was established in 1996 under the terms of the Coastal Management
Act 1995, along with the Victorian
Coastal Council and the Western
and Gippsland
Regional Coastal Boards.
The Board is a strategic
coastal planning advisory body responsible to the State Minister
for Environment, with a main focus to advise the Minister and
implement the Victorian
Coastal Strategy at the regional level.
·
Vision
Statement
·
Functions of the Central Coastal Board
·
Planning Context
·
Central Coastal Board Membership
Vision
Statement
The following vision statement and objectives outline the strategic
direction for the Board and establish the basis of the framework
that will guide the Board's activities. It is a concise statement
of the principles that will guide the Board's decision making
over the next decade.
"The
Central Coastal Board will strive to plan for the central region's
coastal and marine environments consistent with the principles
of sustainable development and for the long term benefit of Victoria."
General
Objectives
The
following objectives are goals that the Board has established
to assist it achieve its vision. The objectives address the three
central pillars of ecologically sustainable development - environmental,
social and economic.
·
To
protect, enhance and restore the natural ecosystems of the central
region where appropriate
·
To
minimise the impact of exotic terrestrial and marine organisms
·
To
maintain and improve coastal and marine water quality meet the
requirements of ecosystem and health human use.
·
To
ensure comprehensive, adequate and representative coastal and
marine protected areas are established
·
To
facilitate the development of coordinated, integrated planning
and management systems for the coastal and marine environment
which lead and reflect the community's aspirations
·
To
protect cultural values
·
To
provide for healthy, sustainable human communities around both
Bays
·
To
foster understanding and respect in the community about the central
region's coastal and marine environment
·
To
provide meaningful opportunities for the community to influence
the long term planning and management of the central region
·
To
ensure coastal communities have a sound economic base leading
to a high quality of life
·
To
recognise public sector private sector partnerships in infrastructure
investment
·
To
ensure adequate funding for coastal and marine planning and management
is provided
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Functions
of the Central Coastal Board
The
core functions of the Central Coastal Board are defined in the
Coastal Management Act 1995 as follows:
·
to
develop Coastal Action Plans for land within the region;
·
to
provide advice to the Minister on coastal development in the region
and any other matters referred to it by the Minister;
·
to
provide advice to the Victorian Coastal Council (the 'Council')
on coastal development in the region and any other matters referred
to it by the Council;
·
with
the approval of the Council, to prepare and publish guidelines
for coastal planning and management in the region;
·
to
facilitate the implementation in the region of the Victorian Coastal
Strategy, Coastal Action Plans and approved coastal guidelines
for the region;
·
to
facilitate local public awareness of and consultation and involvement
in the development and implementation of the Victorian Coastal
Strategy, Coastal Action Plans and approved coastal guidelines
for the region;
·
to
liaise with and encourage the co-operation of Government departments,
municipal councils, public authorities, industry, community groups
and persons and bodies involved in the planning and management
of the region in developing and implementing strategic solutions
to matters affecting the conservation and use of the region's
coast;
·
to
carry out any other functions conferred on it by or under this
Act or any other Act.
The Minister
may give a Board directions in relation to the carrying out of
its functions under this Act. A
Board must comply with the directions of the Minister in carrying
out its functions under this Act.
The most
important areas within this broad statutory role are the following;
·
Strategic
Level of Operation
The Board works at a "big picture" level to try and
identify and shape trends in coastal planning and management for
long term ecological sustainability.
·
Regional
Perspective
The Board has a regional view that covers many different jurisdictions
and geographic areas, thus giving it the capability to coordinate
strategic coastal planning at a regional scale.
·
Agency
Coordination
Because of its diverse membership (State and Local Government,
community and the private sector) the Board has the ability to
work across administrative boundaries and provide independent
advice to Government, as well as assisting with the coordination
of the multiplicity of agencies on the coast.
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Planning
Context
The Boards
functions as described above are undertaken within three key strategic
frameworks, these being:
·
Ecologically
Sustainable Development
ESD is an internationally accepted framework for balancing the
needs of current generations with the needs of future generation
to prevent the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.
·
Integrated
Coastal Zone Management
ICZM attempts to integrate planning and management in a region
across the land/sea interface and the private/public land interface
to treat the coastal zone as one biophysical entity (from draft
Victorian Coastal Strategy 2001). This is to ensure impacts from
different coastal uses are not seen in isolation but rather considered
on a system wide basis to achieve more effective management.
·
Coastal
Conservation and Management Program
This is the Victorian State Government's coastal program that
includes the five key themes of a new coastal strategy, community
participation, protection and conservation, planning and rehabilitation.
Within these
frameworks the Board will work with agencies and the community
to maximize the coordination and cooperation to strive for better
outcomes in the central region.
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