Theme 3A: Restoration of intertidal and subtidal habitats.

Updated: 2015-01-05

Deterioration of coastal marine and estuarine habitats is inevitable in areas where human development is active. This is particularly the case in New South Wales (and throughout Australia) where a very large proportion of the population live on the edges of the coast-line. To sustain biodiversity and to maintain ecological processes and functions (for its own sake or for anthropocentric, human reasons), it will be necessary, for a very long time, to recreate, rebuild or repair habitats (Programme 3: Restoration of Disturbed Coastal Habitats). The science of restoration of coastal habitats is virtually unknown, and there is no sensible theory or understanding of how to create habitat that develops ecological function and maintains natural biodiversity. The biodiversity of animals and plants on rocky shores and in subtidal kelp-beds is vast, complex and variable in space and time. It is very different on many artificial hard surfaces (pilings, sea-walls, etc.) from that on natural rocky shores. As a result, it is necessary to find ways to change the construction of these essential infrastructural developments to enhance their capacity to provide suitable habitat for the natural fauna and flora of our coast-line. The Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities (EICC) has generated many scientific papers and theses from research projects on the restoration of intertidal and subtidal habitats. The link to the URL provided in this record provides a link to this research.