Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program or HNRS CMP
is a partnership between local and state government agencies to support the coordinated management and sustainable development of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system, including Broken Bay, Brisbane Water and Pittwater estuaries*, for the benefit of nature, the economy and the community.
“* Estuaries are at the interface between coastal rivers and the ocean; this means they are influenced by upland catchments processes (rainfall, run-off, water discharges, erosion, etc) and oceanic processes (sea level rise, variations in water quality parameters, currents, winds, etc)
”
WHERE WE ARE AT:
The Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program is being developed using a five-stage risk management approach recommended by NSW Government’s Coastal Management Manual.
In March 2023, the Hawkesbury Nepean River System CMP secured additional funding under NSW Coastal and Estuary Grants Program – Planning Stream thereby ensuring a smooth transition of the program into its next exciting phase (Stage 3) that will look to:
Confirm the strategic direction of the CMP that will involve review of risks and opportunities identified in Stages 1 and 2 to ensure the CMP reflects local values and local/regional strategic planning objectives;
Identify management options to address the identified risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities as detailed in Stage 1 & 2;
Evaluate, select and rank these management options;
And finally, develop a Business Plan to support the implementation of these management options.
Unlike Stages 1 & 2 that primarily looked to empower community and stakeholders with knowledge by bringing all interested parties on board early to share information, Stage 3 will look at building on established working partnerships to share the decision-making dilemma in identifying and evaluating local and regional-scale coastal management actions and determining their viability and acceptability.
Stage 1 of the HNRS CMP got finalised in April 2020 and resulted in the development of a Scoping Study that has reviewed past management of the river system, developed a shared understanding of the current situation and identified the strategic path for the remaining CMP stages.
In April 2021 our CMP transitioned into Stage 2 of the Coastal Management Framework that resulted in the development of a range of studies designed to assess key risks, vulnerabilities and identify opportunities to inform future management. These studies were selected for completion by the CMP project team because they addressed the most pressing knowledge gaps as identified in the Scoping Study and were essential for the successful progression of the CMP. You can learn more about these studies by checking out our Progress Update section of the website.
Watch this space for further updates on the CMP or subscribe to our news & updates below to stay up-to-date with the latest CMP developments.
LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS:
PROJECT LIFE CYCLE:
FAQs
What is a Coastal Management Program?
Coastal Management Programs (CMP) set the long-term strategy for the management of our coastal environments including our estuaries, lagoons, beaches and their associated catchments..
What are the "coastal" areas covered by the CMP?
The CMP study area encompasses the tidal section of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Pittwater, Brisbane Water and Broken Bay. Specifically the tidal area of the river system refers to the area between Yarramundi to the estuary entrance between Box Head and Barrenjoey Head.
Who's developing the Hawkesbury Nepean CMP?
The Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program is being coordinated by six partner councils in collaboration with other catchment councils, state government agencies, public authorities, land managers and community groups to develop the program.
Important Links
Factsheet 1 - What is the Hawkesbury Nepean River System CMP? [708 KB]
Factsheet 5 - Public Health and Safety [1249 KB]
Scoping Study (Stage 1) [10MB]
Coastal management framework [external link]
NSW Government - Coastal Management Manual [external link]
WHO IS LISTENING?
Project Coordinator - Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program
Sixth issue of the Hawkesbury Nepean River System CMP newsletter announces the engagement of Water Technology as a technical consultant to help the Steering Committee deliver Stages 3 and 4 of the CMP.