Saltmarsh habitat is associated with mangroves and has recently been listed as a threatened ecological community by the Federal Government. One of our partners South East Queensland Catchments decided to conduct a session “Talking Saltmarsh”. Nearly a 100 people attended with some of the world’s researchers providing information on the many aspects of saltmarsh habitat.
Some of the key points coming from the workshop included:

Habitat loss in SEQ:

Staff members at the Queensland Herbarium are mapping the Moreton Bay and South East Queensland Region including 54535 hectares of coastal habitat. In terms of saltmarsh there has been a 64% loss in area since the 1950’s.  The major sources of loss include the airport, ports and infrastructure. Emphasising the dynamic nature of our coastal habitats Mangroves actually gained 927 hectares whereas we lost 5549 hectares of Saltmarsh and 784 hectares of Casuarina. The full results will be published in March 2016.
Threats to Saltmarsh:

• Fire
• Vehicle access
• Mosquito management
• Mangrove encroachment.
• Climate change – sea level rise, change in temperature and rainfall
• Pollution and littering
• Grazing – marine couch is prime grazing, and important during drought conditions. Historical fire regimes were raised for grazing. Since the 1990’s the fire frequency has decreased significantly, resulting in a thickening of marine couch.
• Development pressure – direct replacement / encroaching development altering hydrology
• Altered hydrology – roads, access tracks etc
• Recreation – including golf courses
• Feral animals
• Access into saltmarsh areas – protecting from degradation due to vehicle access for maintenance of infrastructure (e.g. utility maintenance, powerlines etc.)
• QLD Government regulations indicate that urban areas do not require an offset – how are urban areas defined? Where are they located?
• Lack of community awareness and value – contributing to all of the above.

 
REF Inc has been a key community contributor to Saltmarsh ecology and community science. You can find out more about saltmarsh by logging onto http://saltmarsh.enviroed.com.au/ or our Pinterest site  https://www.pinterest.com/0im2n485uy67n4m/saltmarsh/

You can also check out this Saltmarsh Video on Youtube.

In the near future we will be publishing an article on saltmarsh in the special features of this blog.

REF Inc has recently been advised by the Federal Government that the applications for Stage 2 and 3 for the Hays Inlet have been approved. This is great news for the Clontarf Eco-path site as the first stage was able to achieve so much, not only in terms of environmental rehabilitation but also for some vulnerable and endangered species in the area including the Koala and the Eastern Curlew (refer to the special features section for information on the Eastern Curlew).

The Green Army Program not only benefits the environment through the provision of funding for hands on practical projects it also provides training and experience for local youth aged between 17 and 24 years of age. The training is provided in environmental practice, horticulture and construction. The Hays Inlet Green Army projects form part of a series of surveys and activities including monitoring, propagation of native species and REF Inc will supplement their experience via community science opportunities.

The application process for the projects was complex and detailed and through the efforts of the REF Committee and with excellent support from the Moreton Bay Regional Council environmental team a strong case was put forward to the Federal Government. Apart from ensuring our remaining buffer and wetland habitat around Hays Inlet is conserved there were three other key outcomes related to the Koala and the Eastern Curlew and saltmarsh habitat which has been listed as of concern by the Federal Government.  

This project process would not be possible without the assistance of our local Federal member, Luke Howarth who has always found time to actively support REF Inc and its members. Just before Christmas he arranged a meeting between REF Inc, other community groups and the Federal Minister for the environment, Greg Hunt. We discussed the issues and potential solutions around conserving our wetlands and improving water quality. Our committee members were impressed by the minister’s knowledge including the local issues associated with Hays Inlet and Moreton Bay. He provided the groups with a comprehensive overview of the environmental programs proposed by the Federal Government and the role local community groups can play. Overall 397 environmental projects were approved by the Federal Government including the 2 for Hays Inlet. The first project is scheduled to begin in July 2016 with support from Conservation Volunteers Australia.

A group of experienced bird watchers lead by Rita Larsen have completed the second survey of the Clontarf Eco-Path site and identified 65 different species of birds. Rita advised that the highlights of the day included sightings of the Golden-headed Cisticola and a pair of Leaden Flycatchers changing guard at their nest.

The enthusiasm and knowledge within the group was amazing and you can see a number of the photographs taken on the day above. The group is conducting a year-long survey of the site with the next birdwatching event scheduled for April 2016. The day reinforced the value of the woodlands and Melaleuca forest as well as the wetlands bordering Hays Inlet in providing habitat for a variety of bird species.

The bird survey is just one component of the work being done by the community to document the flora and fauna associated with Hays Inlet and its surrounding wetlands.

All our members and partners of the Redcliffe Environmental Forum can look back on 2015 with some pride. We made some significant advances with the ECO-Path project including our first Green Army Project which not only benefited the local environment but also provided some of our local youth with the opportunity to gain skills in horticulture and environmental restoration.
As a local community group, our committee also benefited from the experience of sponsoring such a significant project and the great work ethic and passion of so many of our team is to be acknowledged. Apart from the eco-path project, we were also able to engage the community through various events and projects and hopefully raised the profile of our remaining wetlands associated with the Redcliffe Peninsula, Hays Inlet and Moreton Bay.
This blog has covered a number of activities during the year and it’s well worth taking the time to scroll back through the articles and images to see and reflect upon the great work carried out by our members and partners including our patron Councillor Koliana Winchester; the team at the Moreton Bay Regional Council; the Federal member for Petrie, Luke Howarth who has provided us with guidance and support in securing Green Army Projects which can make a real difference to rehabilitating and protecting our valuable wetland habitats.
Along the way we have created significant partnerships with other like-minded organisations including Health Waterways, South East Queensland Catchments, Wetland Care Australia, Conservation Volunteers Australia, the Pine Rivers Catchment Association and local community organisations including the Friends of the Redcliffe Botanical Gardens, the Hays Inlet Festival Organisational Committee, Sunfish, Redcliffe Rotary, the Redcliffe Rugby Union Club and the Redcliffe Golf Club.
This year promises to be an even more exciting year with a number of projects including the Hays Inlet Bushcare Project set up to run during the year. With the help of our members, sponsors and partners we can make a real difference to our local habitats, wildlife and fisheries. As the year unfolds we will endeavour to keep our members informed through this blog. Please feel free to comment on articles as they appear and if you have any questions we will do our best to get back to you with some answers, especially around the flora and fauna associated with Hays Inlet.