Dunedin: A Natural System of Change

An evolving dynamic landscape adapting to environmental changes in response to sea level rise, maintaining a network of ecosystems, thickening Otago’s coastlines for future generations managing sustainable coastlines. The communities’ resilience post-tsunami will open up an opportunity for an integrated coastline development where both soft and hard strategies play an important role, buffering tidal fluctuations affecting the developed urban coastlines.

Unique wildlife and natural spaces are a large part of Dunedin’s charm to residents and visitors. It takes a natural disaster for a large community to respond positively to future disaster prone landscapes. Through innovative environmental design, wetland ecosystems will thicken the coastline and buffer the impacts of flooding waters and sea level rise. Also, through looking at nature to reduce erosion along coastal urban developments, the South Dunedin community will embody resilience adapting to coastal change, creating ecologically diverse coastlines, rich in both species and functionality.