Background

One of the most significant natural assets of the Northern Beaches, Pittwater estuary is the centrepiece of recreation, tourism and local business. It’s also an important environmental asset. Under pressure from competing demands, the ongoing challenge is sustainable management that includes all environmental, social and economic factors.

Within the waterway are a number of valuable estuarine habitats including mangroves, coastal saltmarshes, intertidal mud flats, beaches, rocky shorelines and some of the largest meadows of the protected and critically endangered seagrass species Posidonia australis. Pittwater also holds great significance to the traditional Aboriginal owners and custodians of this land.

As it forms part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system (the River system), we're working in partnership with local and state government agencies to develop a Coastal Management Program (CMP) to support the coordinated management and sustainable development of the River system as a whole.

The Hawkesbury-Nepean CMP

There are 5 stages in preparing a CMP - we are currently in Stage 3: Identify and evaluate management options.

The tabs below provide an overview of stages 1 through 3, or you can find more detail about what these stages involved and the outcomes here.

Stage 3: Identify and evaluate management options

Through an online portal, feedback was collected on a number of proposed actions. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback - your input is instrumental in ensuring the sustainable management of this vital waterway.

There will be more opportunities to have your say when the Draft Coastal Management Program is exhibited in mid-2025.

Stage 2: Risks, vulnerabilities, opportunities

This phase involved community engagement, confirmation of key issues and concerns, fieldwork to confirm current knowledge, and completion of identified technical studies to fill key information gaps.

This stage was complete in 2023.

Stage 1: Scoping study

This study involved collation of existing information, preliminary risk assessment, community consultation strategy, and scoping of technical studies to fill key information gaps.

This stage was completed in 2020.