Integrated Habitat Restoration for the Discovery Coast

Description

The Rodd's Harbour Fish Habitat Area (FHA-036) has three historic and unlawfully installed earthen causeways that obstruct aquatic bio passage and the fresh-marine continuum in this high-value coastal wetland system. The following proposal by CMERC focuses on evaluating improvements in the fish habitat of planned removal of these causeways, focusing on changes in adjacent wetland habitat (salt marsh, mangrove and seagrass meadows), water and sediment quality. A large erosion site located in the tidal area of the Kolan River on the Discovery Coast has been identified as a major contributor of fine sediments entering the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and is experiencing further erosion due to the compromised nature of the eroded shoreline site.

By undertaking engineered shoreline rehabilitation works in this area, the bank will be stabilised, avoiding further shoreline erosion at the site and downstream and enabling natural revegetation, further binding sediment and preventing it from entering the marine environment. Plans to rehabilitate this region offer a unique research opportunity to use multiple lines of evidence approach to evaluate the success of this and other similar engineering projects.

Impact

This represents a unique opportunity to research novel coastal management engineering projects and work with local communities and resource managers.

Lead Partner

Burnett Mary Regional Group

Partners

• LESS industries
• Gidarjil Development Corporation,
• Alluvium Consulting