There are a number of ways to reduce coastal hazard risk using planning/design, nature based, engineered or hybrid methods.

The VRC guidelines state : the hierarchy must be considered and demonstrated when developing an approach for managing coastal hazard risk.

Allow marine and coastal processes, and the hazards they pose, to occur. Business as usual within risk tolerance levels, eg. controlled access, survey, document, salvage

Eg. Planning amendment/overlays, Rolling easements. *Ensures decisions on future development are informed. *Proactive management to avoid and limit future costs

Design standards to guide new development and support adaptable design for changing conditions (eg. raising floors, movable structures).

*Proactive design for future conditions to avoid/limit future costs

Vegetation management and access control can stabilise dunes by trapping sand and provide a buffer from storms and wave attack.

Seagrass has complex root systems which stabilise the seabed. Large seagrass beds dissipate wave energy. Erosion and inundation can be more severe when seagrass is cleared or fragmented.

Resilience via natural systems, stabilising shorelines, absorbing wave energy, slowing and limiting flooding, providing nearshore buffers.

An artificial reef parallel with the shore is designed to reduce wave energy and erosion much like a breakwater but it creates habitat and increases biodiversity outcomes at the same time. This is known as a "living shoreline" solution.

Involves adding sand to an eroded beach.

Helps provide a buffer against storms and rising sea levels as a wider beach can absorb and dissipate wave energy.

Ability for structures to be designed to reduce exposure to, or decrease the impact of coastal hazard risk, thus "accommodating" the risk.

Existing structures, assets or uses may be decommissioned or relocated away from areas that are, or will be, negatively impacted by coastal hazards.

Designed to prevent erosion and stabilise shorelines. They offer flexibility by conforming to the natural contours of the shoreline, making them suitable for dynamic coastal environments.

Designed to protect infrastructure from the impact of waves and storm tide by reflecting waves back into the sea, but can exacerbate erosion in front of seawall.

Designed to absorb and dissipate energy of incoming waves, reducing erosion and protecting foreshore area behind it, but can cause erosion to adjacent areas.