MARINE HABITAT AND SPECIES WORKSHOP NOTES:

What Don’t We Know?

  • Habitat mapping: habitats, hot spots of animals, geomorphology

  • How to expand Ecosystem Services into the sea.

  • Understanding of the link between Ecosystem Services and Social Values

  • Effects of climate change (level and rate)

  • Erosion and effects of habitat loss

  • Capacity of habitat restoration

  • Litter (costs, accessibility, effects of expanded recycling and disposal, effects of stranded fishing gear)

  • Changing dynamics, future change, including sedimentation.

  • Dugong, turtle, water mouse 🡪 indicator species.

  • Sub-tidal and intertidal mapping

  • Groundwater (everything from saltwater intrusion, to pollutants and nutrients)

  • Impacts of expanding populations

  • Synergism of Traditional Owner knowledge and Western Science.

Actions

  • Collate existing information – database; ‘Walking the Landscape’ (expert and citizen knowledge, beyond data, Bribie Island historic society, habitat mapping); Impacts of boat strikes, nutrients, sediments, muds, silts; Restoration; Traditional Owner knowledge.

  • Communication and Education – Impacts; Turn this around into protection; Tourist Information Centre.

  • Ensuring data is easily understood and accessible.

  • Opportunities for people to get involved.

  • Integrating technology and research.

  • Coordinate data gathering (including for all above).

  • School engagement.

  • Enforcement, but educate first.

  • Media Strategy.

  • Advocacy.

  • 4WD management plan.

What knowledge is needed?

Area 1 (northern):

  • Marine/estuarine habitat mapping
  • Shellfish reef restoration
  • Physical environment research- hydrology, geology, sediment
  • Animal indicators
  • Fish mapping
  • Animal hotspots
  • development impact

Area 2a (southern):

  • Lyngbya predictive models and preventative control
  • Dugongs and indicator species
  • New species
  • Expanding shellfish restoration
  • Seaweed farming/aquaculture

Area 3 & 4 (Bribie Island):

  • Loss of sand and sand migration
  • Beach management- erosion and restoration
  • Fire ecology
  • Ground water extraction and mining
  • Transition of forestry to future use/restoration

Area 5:

  • Appropriate use of public access
  • East-west connectivity across highway and railway

Area 6A:

  • Protection of good farming land
  • Soil retention, ag soil protection, bank erosion
  • Ongoing conservation

Area 6B:

  • Monitoring
  • Enforcement
  • Education for incoming residence
  • Offsets and improvements to habitats elsewhere

Area 7A:

  • Land for wildlife
  • Conservation
  • Boutique tourism

Area 7B:

  • Condition assessments, esp for wetlands
  • Conservation
  • Restoration

2050 Vision:

  • Engaged, responsible and caring community
  • Integrated landscape scale planning and management
  • Circular economy
  • Paddock to plate
  • Recognised baselines