The Cocos (Keeling) Islands Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan Project

 

The Australian Government and the Western Australian (WA) Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) have partnered to develop a Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP) for the Shire and community of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI). This is part two of a three-phase project to build understanding of how the Islands’ coastlines will be affected by erosion and inundation in the future and identify and prioritise management responses.

A CHRMAP is a strategic policy guidance document generated and periodically refreshed by, or on behalf of, a local government in accordance with WA state planning guidelines, which apply in the Indian Ocean Territories.

A CHRMAP takes data collected during a Coastal Vulnerability Study (CVS) (Phase One) and makes recommendations that can be used in local planning policies and decision-making (Phase Three). This helps inform government decision-makers and the community to plan and respond to an area’s particular coastal hazards and vulnerabilities.

The components of a CHRMAP include: 

  • coastal hazard risk identification and assessment
  • coastal risk evaluation based on community and stakeholder engagement and an assessment of community safety
  • identification and assessment of adaptation options to mitigate coastal hazard risk
  • identification of preferred options.

The two-volume CKI Coastal Vulnerability Study was published in 2022. It assesses the potential impacts of coastal erosion and inundation on assets and infrastructure on CKI.

The CKI CHRMAP estimates how CKI’s coastlines will be affected by sea level rises over 100 years, identifies assets and areas of value to the community that are predicted to be impacted and outlines potential responses across all levels of government and private citizens over short, medium, and long-term timeframes.

Project Phases

The CHRMAP project will equip decision-makers in CKI with an understanding of how climate change is likely to affect the community, and what they can do to manage those effects.

The CKI CHRMAP project has three phrases:

  • Phase 1 - from 2018 and 2020, involved data collection and scientific modelling to produce a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment (both volumes are available here).
  • Phase 2 - is delivering a CHRMAP which identifies and assesses coastal hazard risks, evaluates their effect on safety based on community and stakeholder engagement, identifies feasible adaptation options to mitigate coastal hazard risks and identifies recommended responses to coastal risks over the short, medium, and long-term.
  • Phase 3 - the CHRMAP’s recommendations and identified risks will inform future land use and infrastructure planning on CKI. The CHRMAP will also support the Australian Government, Shire of CKI and community to work together on a long-term response, including ongoing monitoring and information-sharing, to ensure appropriate management of coastal hazards on CKI over time.

Publication of final CHRMAP and supporting information

Final CHRMAP report and appendices

A high-resolution version of the final CHRMAP is available here

Community Engagement

The CKI community was engaged throughout the CHRMAP development, with residents providing information about how they value and use the coastline and also workshopping various adaptation options. This helped inform the options presented in the CHRMAP to manage future coastal risks.

Documents relating to community engagement on the development of the CHRMAP and the draft CHRMAP, including the full draft report, summaries in English and Cocos Malay, and educational webinars are available on the project’s Social Pinpoint site.

2018-2021

  • Development of the CKI Coastal Vulnerability Study – Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Report (CVS) which informed the CHRMAP.
  • CKI community was kept informed of the project as data was collected and it was progressed, including during on island visits.
  • Residents were provided with technical information and findings from the CVS.

2022

  • Community consultations occurred in September and November to inform the vulnerability and risk assessment sections of the CKI CHRMAP. 
  • Targeted consultation sessions were held with residents of each island and a youth group. Materials were translated into Cocos Malay or given additional visual support so that all members of the community were able to engage
  • We heard from the community about how people value and use the coastline.

2023

  • In February 2023, the team visited CKI again to confirm the community’s central values and preferred management options in the short to medium term and long term.

2024

  • Community information updates were provided through CKI community notices, social media, and website updates as the draft CHRMAP report was progressed.

2025

  • Draft CHRMAP released for community consultation, in line with state planning framework.
  • Community feedback on the draft CHRMAP opened on 29 January and closed on 30 June.
  • Online workshops and presentations to provide further technical and background information took place ahead of additional public meetings and consultation sessions on CKI in April.
  • The CHRMAP was updated to include the feedback of the community and stakeholders received during the submission period.

2026

  • Release of the CHRMAP and ongoing engagement with the Cocos community and stakeholders to develop a long-term pathway for response.

Further Information and contacts

Project Social Pinpoint site: social pinpoint site

The DITRDCSA team working on the CHRMAP can be reached at CKITaskforce@infrastructure.gov.au