“At a macro level the Caring for Our Coast program has had a significant reach into the social fabric of coastal communities while also over achieving on the targeted on-ground outputs” (Environmental Evidence Australia draft report, 2011).

The Caring for our Coast project delivers on-ground Natural Resource Management (NRM) outcomes across five priority areas in the Australian Government’s (AG) Caring for our Country (CFOC)program business plan, including high priority native habitat and vegetation, Weeds of National Significance (WONS), World Heritage Areas (WHAs), critical aquatic habitat and coastal hot spots. The project has received two rounds of funding - Stage 1 $3.5m for projects delivered in 2009-10 and Stage 2 $1.35m for projects delivered in 2010-12.  Stage 1 saw a total of 94 projects (46 large ($20-50K) and 48 small-scale ($5-20K)) completed across the five coastal CMA regions. There were also four state-wide projects: a MERI training project run by EnviTE in late 2010; a NSW Coastal Volunteers Forum held in Wollongong in February-March 2011 run by the community group WYCARE; an Underwater Volunteers project run by the National Marine Science Centre/Southern Cross University; and a state-wide evaluation of Stage 1 delivered by Environmental Evidence Australia. 

The Caring for our Coast project is managed by the Northern Rivers CMA, which in partnership with the other coastal CMAs (Hunter-Central Rivers, Hawkesbury-Nepean, Sydney Metropolitan and Southern Rivers) provides funds to community organisations to deliver projects addressing CFOC program targets. Organisations such as Dunecare, Coastcare and Landcare groups and their networks; Indigenous organisations; schools and youth groups; public land managers, local councils as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Land and Property Management Authority; Underwater Research Groups and the National Marine Science Centre; and non-government organisations such as EnviTE, WetlandCare Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia have all benefited from the caring for our Coast project.