The CoastRI Initiative: An Effort to Quantify Coastal Change

In response to the increasing rate of coastal change and the growing risks it poses to communities and infrastructure, a consortium within Australia’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) is spearheading the development of a pioneering national coastal research infrastructure, aptly named CoastRI.

A cornerstone of the CoastRI initiative is the meaningful inclusion and co-design with First Nations communities, ensuring that their knowledge and perspectives are integral to the project. This collaborative approach is central to achieving a transformative advancement in environmental and climate research, as recommended by the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap.

CoastRI is poised to become the backbone for enhanced coastal observation, data collection, and research activities across the nation. It will foster co-investment and the pooling of collective efforts to deepen our understanding and adaptation to coastal change. By leveraging and integrating existing capabilities, CoastRI aims to aggregate data, making it more accessible and useful to a broader range of users, thus amplifying its impact on coastal management and resilience.

Further information can be found at https://www.coastri.org.au