World’s largest seagrass nursery unveiled to supercharge restoration of Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
Seagrass restoration on the Great Barrier Reef will be significantly boosted thanks to the world’s largest purpose-built seagrass restoration nursery which was unveiled in Gladstone today.
CQUniversity’s SeaGrow nursery is funded by the partnership between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Coles Group and is the world’s first large-scale seagrass nursery that has been developed with leading seagrass researchers and Reef Traditional Owners.
Great Barrier Reef Foundation Coastal Habitat Restoration Director Will Hamill said: “The role of seagrass in sustaining the Great Barrier Reef and supporting the health of coastal habitats is absolutely critical.
“As home to the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, the Reef’s meadows provide nurseries and food sources for endangered species like turtles and dugongs whilst acting as natural filters by removing pollutants such as fine sediment and excess nutrients from the water.
“But they also have another critical job – mitigating climate change by storing 400 million tonnes of carbon which is the equivalent weight of eight Sydney Harbour bridges.
“However, this ecosystem is under threat from the impacts of climate change, and there are areas struggling to recover from increasingly severe and frequent storms, floods and cyclones such as Cyclone Jasper and Kirrily that impacted the Reef last summer.
“This ecosystem destruction is a double-edged sword. Not only do we lose the capacity to store carbon into the future, the loss of these ecosystems also triggers the release of historic carbon deposits, further increasing emissions.
“As the world grapples with how to meet urgent emissions reduction targets, we are increasingly looking to the ocean and its coastal ecosystems – which sequester carbon 30-50 times more efficiently than rainforests – for bridging solutions.
“This new expanded seagrass nursery will see restoration scaled up significantly using an innovative seed-based method pioneered at the facility, to help repair critical ecosystems whilst unlocking the Great Barrier Reef’s potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
CMERC Director Professor Emma Jackson said the nursery has been three years in the making and will be transformative in enhancing degraded seagrass meadows and helping to build their resilience against the increasing impacts of climate change.
“Seeds collected from nurseries are used to re-seed damaged or fragmented meadows, helping to improve their overall condition and resilience.
“Our new nursery – which is the largest of its type in the world – will enhance our capacity for seagrass restoration while also providing more accessibility for local community and schools to visit and learn about this important habitat.”
The SeaGrow nursery is funded by Coles Group’s partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and has also received support through the Reef Coastal Restoration Program that is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.
Coles Head of Sustainability Governance and Engagement Anna Stewart said: “Today marks a major milestone in Coles’ partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and we’re so pleased to have played a role in launching the world’s largest seagrass nursery. We know seagrass meadows are vital for the Reef’s resilience – they are feeding grounds for marine animals, and they also help to increase biodiversity, improve water quality and protect shorelines.
“We look forward to the learnings that will be made at this state-of-the-art site, which we hope will help ensure the Reef can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Professor Jackson said the increasing impact of climate change and water quality had been felt by seagrass meadows worldwide.
“Initiatives such as this play an important role in building the health and resilience of these important marine environments globally and the nursery is part of a Global Seagrass Nursery Network.”
