WA Coastal and Marine Community Network

Addressing challenges facing grassroots coastal community action

WALN is assisting the newly formed WA Coastal and Marine Community Network to spread coastcare news and support coastcare groups. Read about the network, its aims and objectives and activities below:

Who is the WA Coastal and Marine Community Network?

The Western Australian (WA) Coastal and Marine Community Network (CMCN) supports connection, collaboration and engagement for the health and sustainability of Western Australia’s coastal and marine environments. The Network was established in February 2020 in response to an identified need for enhanced coordination of the work of community organisations engaged in coastal and marine conservation and management activities. It was also established to serve as a centralised data repository for use by community organisations as well as local, State and Federal government agencies.

The CMCN is a network of diverse stakeholders with a passion for the WA coastal and marine environment, who interact to learn together and from each other. In WA, valuable coastal and marine conservation and management work is already undertaken by individuals, community groups, private organisations, research organisations and government agencies (termed collectively the ‘WA coastal and marine community’ or ‘Community’ herein).

The CMCN believes that through the sharing of good practice, knowledge of coastal and marine processes and ecological data, and the facilitation of education and training, conservation and management outcomes will be maximised for the benefit of the whole Western Australian community and coast. There is currently no other such organisation or mechanism that facilitates resource sharing or cohesion for coastal and marine stakeholders in this manner.

Get involved

To learn more or actively participated

What we do

The CMCN will facilitate collaboration and cohesion in coastal and marine management activities in Western Australia by:

⇒ Providing a coordinating network across all of Western Australia,

⇒ Acting as a point of connection between members of the Community already engaged in coastal and marine conservation and management activities,

⇒ Providing a repository for information, data and knowledge that can be shared by the coastal and marine community, and used in their work, and

⇒ Promoting a healthy and sustainable coastal and marine environment.

How we work

The Network brings together individuals and groups with an interest in the WA coastal and marine environment. The Network operates via a:

⇒ Core Strategic Group: who provide leadership and strategic networking

⇒ Working Group Members: who take an active role in the Network to achieve the Network’s goals. Working Group Members contribute to one or more key Network themes.

⇒ Members: members who engage in communication (e.g. email list, meetings) and benefit from Network, although do not take an active role.

⇒ An Advisory Group: that provides input and advice to the Core Strategic Group on an as-needs basis.

Read the Full Coastal and Marine Community Network Terms of Reference @16 June 2021

Our Principles

The CMCN is committed to:

⇒ Collaboration: Acting as a focal point for members of the WA coastal and marine community seeking opportunities for collaboration on coastal and marine conservation and management activities

⇒ Open-access: Facilitating the development of a data repository that is supported by secure and managed storage, which provides the Community with access to information that is suitable for decision-making, research, training and education purposes.

⇒ Subsidiarity and inclusivity: Recognising and supporting the work of the diverse WA coastal and marine community in Western Australia, including in the collection, collation and dissemination of knowledge, information and data.

⇒ Spatial integrity: Western Australia’s variable geomorphological and ecological settings underpin the approach to the collation of data. Geographic location (eg: at regional, primary compartment, secondary compartment, and sediment cell scales) provides the basis for the categorisation of data, including but not limited to, photographs, survey data, beach use counts and other information.

⇒ Sustainability: Long-term sustainability of the network and its role in supporting collegial and coordinated coastal and marine management in Western Australia.

Our Goals

CMCN has five goals:

⇒ Develop a sustainable and integrated network that supports on ground coastal action, long-term coastal and marine conservation and monitoring, which is not limited by jurisdiction or location.

⇒ Improve the quality and accessibility of information (including data) used in decision-making from all sectors, including government, non-government and academic.

⇒ Raise awareness of the importance of coastal and marine management and conservation in Western Australia by facilitating outreach, education and training opportunities.

⇒ Recognise coastal and marine communities, including Aboriginal communities, in their coastal and marine management and conservation actions.

⇒ Assist the Community to identify and secure resources for coastal and marine management activities.