Where has seagrass in Western Port been lost, and which of these areas are most suitable for attempting seagrass restoration? What are the most appropriate methodologies for restoration? These are the main questions we’ve been trying to answer over the past two years. Seagrass mapping in Western Port A team of scientists from Deakin’s EcoGenetics, Read more
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What is the current status of reef health in Port Phillip Bay? How many sea urchins are there? Are sea urchins a problem in all parts of Port Phillip or just some? These are the questions we set out to answer by conducting a survey of reefs across Port Phillip Bay. Completing this Bay-wide surveyRead more
Training and pre-restoration vegetation surveys are underway! In partnership with Coastcare Victoria and the Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) we hosted a vegetation survey training workshop on Wadawurrung Country at Point Lillias in February 2020. The goal of this workshop was to train members of the Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation (WAC) the key steps and methods involvedRead more
12 months of greenhouse gas and vegetation data collection completed! With the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions, the Blue Carbon Lab was given the green light to recommence fieldwork under strict social distancing guidelines. Our #VicWetlnandRehab team headed to Western Port in May 2020 to finish the autumn survey of the 10-hectare saltmarsh restoration site.Read more
Thanks to project cost savings we’ve been able to install additional protection of Saltmarsh Habitat in Western Port! After the completion of protection fencing at our first Western Port site (~10 hectares), we had some cost savings, which allowed us to protect additional saltmarsh in the region! Our project partner Parks Victoria was able toRead more
Time for tea! Exploring rates of carbon decomposition in different saltmarsh community types. As part of the Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program, researchers in the Blue Carbon Lab are studying how carbon retention varies among saltmarsh community types. This information is important when planning the restoration of coastal wetland habitats. Following the TeaComposition H2O protocols,Read more
As part of the Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration program, works are underway on our Gippsland Lakes saltmarsh site with vegetation monitoring and a weed removal program. Vegetation mapping across the 100 ha site revealed quality brackish grassland areas (EVC class 934) that have been shrinking in size due to encroachment by the shrub Melaleuca ericifoliaRead more
The Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program (#VicWetlandRehab) targets several threatened, high-priority conservation areas (including RAMSAR-listed wetlands that are critical for migratory and resident shorebirds) along a 500 km stretch of Victoria’s coast, spanning Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay, and the Gippsland Lakes. Coastal wetlands (including saltmarsh) in each of these locations have been highlyRead more
Development of a Restoration Action Plan is underway! Researchers from UNSW Water Research Lab are creating a hydrodynamic model to test restoration scenarios at Avalon Coastal Reserve. In August 2019, A/Prof. Will Glamore and Dr. Valentin Heimhuber from the UNSW Water Research Laboratory conducted topographic (RTK GPS) and bathymetric (Echosounder) surveys around the Avalon CoastalRead more
Master’s students from the Blue Carbon Lab are investigating the impacts of tidal restriction and tidal reinstatement on saltmarsh sediments. Saltmarshes are unique intertidal systems that serve as important habitat for native biodiversity, while also sequestering significant amounts of carbon. Due to their carbon sequestration ability, saltmarshes are vital nature-based assets in the fight againstRead more
