mangrove health
Mangroves play a vital role in reducing the amount of waste entering the ocean by capturing nutrients, sediments and pollutants. Port of Brisbane is located adjacent to some of the largest mangrove ecosystems in Moreton Bay.
Since 1999, Port of Brisbane has monitored the ecological health, species composition and structure of the mangroves adjacent to the port. Monitoring takes place annually and includes field surveys, GIS mapping and photographic monitoring to identify changes over time.
Data collected from the monitoring since this time indicates that the health of the mangrove community has fluctuated caused by changes in rainfall, with health and growth improving during wet years and declining in dry years. Our monitoring program has also demonstrated the need for infrastructure projects to consider how infrastructure be designed in a way that minimises changes in overland flow.
Read the latest monitoring report on our Environmental Reports page.
seagrass health
Seagrass is an important flowering marine plant that forms meadows in shallow, sheltered waters.
Seagrass meadows provide important habitat and food for many marine animals including dugongs, turtles, sea urchins, fish, shore and water birds and benthic fauna. There is a large seagrass meadow adjacent to the Port of Brisbane, which has a considerably high biodiversity value.
Since 1991, Port of Brisbane has conducted regular monitoring of this seagrass meadow. The health of seagrass meadows is determined using aerial photography, survey transects and underwater video surveys to assess the seagrass depth range and undertake community profiling and meadow mapping.
Monitoring results show the construction of the Port’s reclamation area has benefitted the growth and health of the seagrass communities by protecting the seagrass in Waterloo Bay from prevailing winds and separation from the mouth of the Brisbane River.
So much so that since 1991, the seagrass meadows adjacent to the Port have increased by 200% and now cover 1,400 hectares.
The monitoring program has also shown that the impacts of floods (primarily due to sediment inflows) are the biggest driver of seagrass health, with a pattern of retraction and gradual recolonisation observed following a flood event.
Read the latest monitoring report on our Environmental Reports page.
Coral Health
Since 2016, Port of Brisbane worked with Reef Check Australia to monitor the coral reefs near the Port. Like our seagrass monitoring program, sediment and nutrients from floods have been shown to be significant stressors on these communities.
Read the latest monitoring report on our Environmental Reports page.
FUTURE PORT EXPANSION SEAWALL
Port of Brisbane’s Future Port Expansion (FPE) seawall, located in the Port’s reclamation area was completed in 2005 and extends over 4.6km.
Over time, the FPE seawall has become an important habitat for a diverse range of benthic flora and fauna communities, supporting a vast array of marine life including macro-algae, corals, sponges, anemones, crayfish and fish.
Monitoring is undertaken every five years to investigate the quality and extent of this important habitat within the wall. Data is gathered through field surveys using transects and underwater cameras to assess changes over time.
Read the latest monitoring report on our Environmental Reports page.