Phebe Fidge reflects on research highlights, new developments, and reasons to be hopeful in the coastal restoration space following the ACRN Symposium in Sydney.
It was an absolute gift to attend the third meeting of the Australasian Coastal Restoration Network (ACRN) Symposium in Sydney (Gadigal Country) a couple of weeks ago (28 – 30 June, 2024)! Formerly the Australian Coastal Restoration Network, the group has expanded to include our colleagues in New Zealand and allow this community of ecologists, social scientists, hydrologists, regulators, natural resource managers, restoration practitioners, and students to grow as interest expands across the ocean.
The ACRN Symposium brings together an eclectic group of people working across diverse coastal ecosystems, from dunes to mangroves to coral reefs, for a discussion on breakthroughs in coastal restoration. This event showcases developments in the ecology, management, and socio-cultural values of coastal systems. Attendees get an opportunity to increase their outreach over seas and across the seascape. In the process, they expand their networks and build inter-disciplinary relationships fit for tackling the complex challenges that persist in our industry.
A morning cruise with ‘Tribal Warrior’ learning about coastal restoration sites in Sydney Harbour.
Last Tuesday, I presented, for the first time, the results of a global literature review examining the recovery of ecosystem services by restored and created tidal marshes over time. Whilst this research is currently under peer review, it was great sharing key insights for more punctual impact. Forums like the ACRN Symposium are critical for conveying the current state of knowledge including information gaps and future directions for research. They allow for continuous learning.
Some of the presentations highlighted interesting developments in coastal restoration practice, especially the addition of salty bore water to ponded pastures for weed suppression, as demonstrated at Mungalla station by Greening Australia. I was also impressed by the field studies of PhD student, Renske Jongen (University of Sydney), which demonstrated the importance of root microbiomes in conferring the resilience of transplanted seagrass shoots to heat stress.
It was encouraging to see several highly applied studies come to the forefront this year. Dr. Valerie Hagger (The University of Queensland) presented a new method for quantifying wetland biodiversity, identifying insectivorous bats as an effective indicator of ecosystem recovery. This will be essential for valuing wetlands under the emerging Nature Repair Market. Dr. Georgina Wood (The University of Western Australia) presented “Reef Adapt”, a semi-automated web tool that considers environmental predictors and connectivity for identification of suitable restoration areas for target marine species (especially kelp). This represents an innovative use of technology for bridging the gap between ecological/genomic theory and restoration practice. Another innovative use of technology was the use of artificial intelligence to identify fishes and monitor restoration outcomes for oyster reefs, presented by Jasmine Rasmussen (Global Wetlands Project).
Dr. Valerie Hagger (The University of Queensland) presenting her talk on coastal wetland restoration opportunities and indicators for biodiversity benefits.
There was a huge focus on the socio-cultural value of coastal environments and the power of coastal communities for enabling restoration. I was excited by Dr. John Turnbull’s (University of Sydney) presentation on the applications of virtuous cycles for increasing environmental stewardship and enhancing marine conservation. It was also great to see socio-cultural outcomes embedded in several restoration projects, with notable examples including the citizen science programs associated with Operation Crayweed, which was presented by Dr. Claudia Santori (UNSW), as well as Boats4Coral, presented by Dr. Deb Foote (AIMS). The extensive outreach and engagement program associated with the artificial reef instalment near the Sydney Opera House presented by Prof. David Booth (UTS) took this to another level!
Dr. Dominic McAfee presenting his talk on mobilising community groups for a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to coastal marine restoration.
Like every other conference I’ve attended, the complexity of permit and approval pathways emerged as a key regulatory barrier for coastal restoration across Australia. It was a privilege to be involved in a workshop discussing solutions and potential advice to DCCEEW under a CSIRO project titled, “An Ecological Knowledge System for the Nature Repair Market“. We discussed the need to streamline existing legislation to enable restoration at scale. We recognised the need for alignment across local government areas and across levels of government. We also identified the need for restoration in national park areas, which is currently restricted to research permits. Ass/Prof. Justine Bell-James (The University of Queensland) summarised these issues beautifully in her presentation on solutions for marine and coastal law reform, highlighting that top-scale landscape-level targets are needed to translate policy into action and suggesting the integration of restoration objectives into planning laws.
ACRN group photo (Credit: Katie Motson).
The event concluded with flare. Many spent an evening under the dazzling lights of the Vivid festival before our spectacular morning cruise of restoration sites in Sydney Harbour aboard the Tribal Warrior. These events revive my hope for a better world, one that values and protects nature. I am inspired by the dedication and optimism of the bright and passionate people who persist with the productive pursuit of repairing ecosystems despite massive challenges and setbacks. I can’t wait to see what we achieve together, and look forward to next year.
