Navigating Permits: A Review of Coastal Wetland Restoration Approvals in Victoria

The restoration of coastal wetlands or ‘blue carbon ecosystems’ will be an essential tool for achieving climate change mitigation and biodiversity targets entrenched in policies at all levels of government. Despite increasing demand for coastal wetland restoration projects across the public and private sectors, the implementation and scalability of blue carbon projects in Australia remain limited. This study aimed to characterise the permits and approvals for coastal wetland restoration projects in the Australian state of Victoria and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing legislative pathways for enabling restoration at scale. We found there were 22 separate permits and approvals across local, state and federal levels of government that may be required to carry out coastal wetland restoration projects in Victoria, excluding specific permissions associated with National Parks, marine reserves and state forests. These depend on restoration activities and land tenure as well as Planning Scheme zoning and overlays. The complexity of permitting and approval processes has been a key barrier to the widespread implementation of coastal wetland restoration projects in Victoria. We highlight the need to streamline existing legislation, advocating general permits for restoration activities in areas with high coastal wetland restoration potential. We suggest refinements to state government risk assessment methodologies and highlight the need for incentives and long-term funding to reduce financial uncertainty and advance coastal wetland restoration projects.