Approaches to monitoring and managing Indigenous Australian coastal cultural heritage places

Abstract

Australia's coastal zone contains a diverse range of cultural heritage places. They are, however, negatively impacted by a multitude of natural and cultural factors. Currently there are few robust site monitoring programmes that focus on identifying the causes and directions of change in the coastal zone and the impacts that these changes have on heritage places. With case studies from Queensland, we outline and evaluate a number of potential approaches to coastal monitoring. They range from localised but inexpensive combinations of anecdotal observations coupled with geoindicators, to the use of more recent and sophisticated technologies such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) remote sensing. We also propose there is a need to establish cooperative information data sharing arrangements in Australia for coastal monitoring studies.