Print PageOutlook Online 2009
Interaction of catchment runoff with seagrass meadows
Management Concern: High
Adequacy of Information: Moderate
Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009
- Changes in seagrass communities appear to be mainly due to natural cycles of decline and recovery although influenced by run-off from catchments.
- Approximately 6000km2 of seagrass meadows occur along the Queensland coast, both in shallow inshore areas and deeper water. An unknown, but larger area probably occurs in the deeper, offshore water of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
- Seagrass habitat has been lost through land reclamation. Seagrass meadows are sensitive to sediments from flood events. They are also sensitive to nutrient inputs.
What do we know?
Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:
- Trends in seagrass distribution in the Great Barrier Reef
- Global distribution of coral, mangrove and seagrass diversity
- Diversity and distribution of shallow seagrass beds in the Great Barrier Reef
- Flood and cyclone related loss, and partial recovery, of more than 1000 km2 of seagrass in Hervey Bay
- Responses of seagrass to nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef
- Composition and distribution of flood plumes in the Great Barrier Reef
- Distribution of deep water seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
- Resilience of seagrass beds
- Deepwater seagrasses in northeastern Australia - how deep, how meaningful?
- Seagrass as nursery for fish and prawn species
- Marine Monitoring Program - Seagrass
- Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
Existing policies and management actions
- Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
- Regional water quality improvement plans
- State Coastal Management Plan 2002
- Coastal Ecosystem Management Position Paper
- Seagrass Watch
- Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program
- Improving water quality
- Coastal ecosystem protection
Future management requirements
- Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan
- Biodiversity strategy
Defined research questions
- What is the influence of climate and non-climate stressors (e.g. toxicants, salinity, temperature, pH) on seagrass habitats?
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