The BCL has been awarded a 2021 Community Volunteer Action Grant by the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning. This funding will support a citizen science program all about microplastics and their role in coastal wetlands. Plastic pollution is a pervasive and growing planetary threat affecting nearly every global marine and freshwater ecosystem, estimateRead more
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The Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program, funded by the Victorian Government, Deakin University and The Nature Conservancy, was a finalist in the 2021 SERA Awards for Ecological Restoration Excellence (Large Project). This award given the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia acknowledges individuals or organisations that have made a significant, enduring or internationally recognized contribution toRead more
The Blue Carbon Lab is all about using cutting-edge blue carbon research to mitigate climate change, while supporting aquatic biodiversity, economic growth, capacity building, and community wellbeing. That is why we are pleased to announce our partnership with The Intrepid Foundation on a series of upcoming on-ground projects to restore and protect crucial blue carbonRead more
The Blue Carbon Lab has received funding from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to “Build the Blue Carbon Business Case: Cost-benefit analysis of coastal wetland restoration”. As Australia’s largest independent community foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation inspires philanthropy to create positive social change. As a community foundation, they work in partnership with their stakeholders toRead more
New Fellowship We are thrilled that our scientist Dr Martino Malerba has received a DECRA Fellowship! This prestigious fellowship from the ARC will allow him to quantify the national carbon footprint of farm dams and develop low-cost strategies for ‘greener’ practices. He will explore the untapped potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from millions ofRead more
This project will build on the previous work achieved through the Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program, in which the Blue Carbon Lab, Coastcare Victoria and Arthur Rylah Institute worked alongside Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) to perform remedial work at a coastal volcanic plain temperate grassland site within Port Phillip Bay Catchment. Only 1%Read more
Truganina Swamp is a 175-ha wetland of Biodiversity Significance, providing critical habitat for threatened and protected fauna as well as threatened saltmarsh vegetation. However, particular areas of this wetland need restoration due to pressures from a range of urban threats. With the help of local citizen scientists, Friends of Truganina Wetland (FOTW), and Melbourne WaterRead more
Historically natural coastal wetlands were converted to pastureland to maximize available farming area along Victoria’s coast. However, these coastal pastures limited the lands profitability due to the difficult growing conditions, invasive weeds and waterlogged soils. Our project intends to use low-cost fencing to restore marginal farmland back to coastal wetlands, where farmers end up withRead more
The Blue Carbon Lab has received $200,000 of funding from the Helen MacPherson Smith Trust for the Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration Program. This funding will be used to build upon the achievements of the program over the past 3 years and look to upscale wetland restoration using low-cost methods along the Victorian coast. This project will do so by determining scalability, supporting practitioners with specialist resources,Read more
This week is NAIDOC week, where we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme is Heal Country, which means embracing First Nation’s cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage, and that the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders are respected equally toRead more
