In Australia, community concerns about coastal management are leading to development of monitoring programs to support managers. Monitoring is a critical component of any management process designed to cope with the uncertainty that is always present in predictions of impacts. Long-term monitoring will require community involvement. The community must ‘own’ monitoring and its outputs if programmes are to remain viable and if management decisions arising from monitoring are to be implemented effectively. Recently, three different but convergent initiatives began to seek these goals. One approach centres on using a community-supported ecotourism destination as a base. A second initiative arises from state government planning and community concern about perceived environmental degradation. The third effort is being coordinated by the Commonwealth government in an attempt to improve coastal management. All three approaches further community efforts to produce rigorous data that enhance decision making. In return, the community receives interesting and enjoyable activities that maintain their interest, as well as improved coastal management.