The Australian Government has announced $3.85m of funding awarded to the Burnett Mary Regional Group to restore habitat for threatened species in the Discovery Coast over the next three years.
As part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, the Discovery Coast supports a range of threatened habitats and species including marine turtle nesting sites, dugong and a variety of fish and migratory shorebird species.
Burnett Mary Regional Group is leading delivery of the project through the newly formed Discovery Coast Consortium, which includes key members from Central Queensland University’s Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC), LESS industries, Gidarjil Development Corporation and Alluvium Consulting.
The consortium will deliver on objectives for the Integrated Habitat Restoration for the Discovery Coast project. These objectives will address issues facing threatened species by removing causeways in the Rodd’s Harbour Fish Habitat Area, rehabilitating shoreline on the Kolan River and installing marine turtle nest cages to protect nesting sites at Wreck Rock.
CMERC, directed by Dr Emma Jackson from Central Queensland University are a key member within the consortium. CMERC is the newly established headquarters for practical and sustainable solutions for coastal and marine environments. This will support the project by bringing cutting edge scientific insight and knowledge within this space.
The project will also be supported by LESS Industries, who will supply their latest sensory technologies for monitoring and evaluation through each of the project sites.
Burnett Mary Regional Group’s well established partnership with Gidarjil Development Corporation will ensure Traditional Owner knowledge and practices will be integrated within delivery of the project, in particular Gidarjil’s new water quality monitoring laboratory led by all-female indigenous sea rangers.
2020 by PRWire.com