Seagrass Restoration at Pioneer Bay
Part of the Whitsunday Reef Islands Initiative program
Project Lead: CQUniversity
Key project partners: Coral Sea Marina
Overview: Queensland’s seagrass habitats have been declining and also taking longer to recover from shocks and stresses. As part of this project, seagrass flowers are collected and their seeds cultivated in nurseries, which are then used to re-seed meadows. This project adopts a stewardship approach and will upskill local community members and Traditional Owners in seagrass restoration.
Key Achievements
- 65,000 seagrass seeds dispersed across one hectare of seagrass meadow
- Reseeding trials increased seagrass cover by up to 300% in some research plots
- More than 150 local stewards were involved.
- Seagrass nursery design and restoration methods are now being used as a model for other programs.
Seagrass nursery unveiled in Airlie Beach
A new expanded seagrass nursery has been unveiled in Airlie Beach which will support the enhancement of degraded seagrass meadows, helping to build their resilience against the increasing impacts of climate change.
