Rocky shores are a defining feature of much of Australia’s coastline, particularly along high-energy open coasts in southern and eastern Australia and in parts of Western Australia. They include cliffs, headlands, rock platforms and boulder fields that are exposed to waves and tides.

In contrast to sandy beaches, rocky shores tend to feature solid substrates, minimal sediment movement, and sharply defined zones shaped by tides and wave action.

Rocky shores are dynamic environments that play an important role in coastal protection, biodiversity, cultural values and community use.

Rocky coasts are critical for coastal protection, significantly reducing coastal erosion and flooding through their physical structure and ecological function. Their solid structure and wave-cut platforms dissipate wave energy, reducing the impact of storm surges, reducing erosion and slowing cliff retreat. Their structural complexity such as cliffs, boulders and tide pools further break wave force, while algae and stone-boring organisms help maintain rock integrity to reduce erosion.

Ecologically, rocky shores range across a wide variety of geomorphic settings, from high-energy headlands and wave-cut platforms on exposed coasts to more sheltered environments like estuaries and intertidal reef flats.

These habitats create complex microenvironments that support specialised communities of marine plants and animals adapted to living at the land-sea boundary with extreme gradients of moisture, temperature, and salinity. Many species found on rocky shores occur only in that region (endemic), particularly along southern Australia’s shores.

They also serve as important feeding grounds for birds and fish.

Rocky shore environments provide a wide range of ecological, cultural, and economic benefits. These intertidal zones have supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for millennia, offering shellfish, seaweeds, and other marine resources that remain important for traditional diets and cultural practices (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2023).

Rocky shorelines are focal points for human activity and face pressures from both land and sea. Those located near urban areas are vulnerable to a range of stressors such as trampling, harvesting, bait collection, artificial lighting, and poor water quality

Trampling can damage habit-forming species, such as mussels and macroalgae, which restructures ecological communities. Harvesting – particularly illegal harvesting - and bait collection further deplete key intertidal species, altering trophic interactions and paving the way for invasive organisms. Urbanisation exacerbates these effects by fragmenting habitats and intensifying threats such as light pollution. Sewage, urban runoff, and bushfire debris can bring toxins, nutrients and sediment that reduces water quality and damages intertidal organisms.

To manage rocky shores in a changing climate requires:

• regular monitoring of erosion and biodiversity is essential to track the impacts of climate change and inform adaptive management
• engaging with Traditional Owners to ensure cultural knowledge is integrated into conservation strategies, strengthening both ecological and cultural outcomes
• ensuring conservation and management through utilising through protected areas
• improving water quality controls to limit urban runoff and pollution to help maintain the health of these sensitive intertidal ecosystems
• developing education programs and clear signage to reduce trampling and illegal harvesting.