Wildlife Australia - Spring 2017

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doesn’t meet either national or international standards for
nomination. The nominal World Heritage places are clustered
into six areas and together form an easterly arc from north of
Pumicestone Passage to Southern Moreton Bay NP.
Whether inshore or offshore coral reefs, tidal marsh and
mangrove communities, RAMSAR wetlands, seagrass meadows
or estuaries, Moreton Bay’s habitats provide homes for a
plethora of species. When evaluated, they also provide billions
of dollars worth of crucial ecosystem services per annum.
Seagrass meadows alone produce up to 400 billion litres of
oxygen annually and absorb the effluent of more than 2.5 million
residents of the catchment each year (1.2 kg per single hectare
of seagrass). The mangrove forests that fringe the bay are also
critical fish nurseries and natural ‘filters’ that help prevent
sediment build-up, as explained on page 29.
So, will this extensive list of worthy features be enough to
garner MBMP a place on the World Heritage list? That remains
to be seen. A tentative nomination for the Quandamooka region
is currently being prepared. It is hoped that a nomination
will underscore the value of Moreton Bay Marine Park as a
recreational reserve or refuge and a place of universal value that
must be preserved for future generations – not only of humans,
but also of the numerous species that depend upon Moreton Bay
for their survival.

READING Finn PG et al, 2010. Assessing the quality of seagrass data collected
by community volunteers in Moreton Bay Marine Park, Australia. Environmental
Conservation 37(1):83–89. Petter M, et al. 2013. A methodology to map ecosystem
functions to support ecosystem services assessments. Ecology and Society 18(1).

MICHAEL LUSIS has a Masters of Environmental Management from the
University of Queensland and a graduate diploma in urban and regional
planning. His professional roles have revolved around environmental
planning, strategic planning and community engagement. He is an active
member of conservation and social justice organisations and a foundation-
year member of Wildlife Queensland Bayside Branch, contributing to their
Coastal Citizen Science Network. Since 1988, Michael has participated in
three campaigns relating to the conservation of Moreton Bay Marine Park.

BIRDS OF MORETON BAY

The Commonwealth Government lists 37 migratory shorebird species under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation

Act 1999 (EPBC). Each species is protected at every migratory stage, under international agreements between Australia and other

nations. Twenty-six of these species visit Moreton Bay, and 20 of them are known to visit Bribie Island NP or Pumicestone NP during

their migration. Along with shorebirds, Moreton Bay Marine Park provides habitat for other avifauna on the Threatened Species Strategy

Action Plan 2015–16 (20 birds by 2020), such as the Endangered Australasian bittern and the Critically Endangered swift parrot, which is

an occasional and seasonal visitor to the region.

(A) Endangered on the IUCN Red List for more than a decade, fewer than 1000 individuals of the Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) are

believed to survive in Australia, but the number may be as low as just 3–16 individuals surviving in South East Queensland. Photo: Shorty [CC].

(B) The eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) is Australia’s largest migratory shorebird species and is listed as Critically Endangered under

the EPBC act. A long-haul flyer, it migrates annually to Russia and China to breed, returning to Australia in August to feed. Photo: Michael Hanvey.

(C) One of just three known migratory parrot species, the swift parrot (Lathamus discolour) is a rarely seen visitor to Moreton Bay Marine Park. It

breeds in tree hollows in the cooler climes of Tasmania before flying north each winter to feed on psyllid lerps and nectar. Photo: Greg Miles.

Underwater meadows

Dugongs are listed as Critically Endangered in parts of their range,

and Moreton Bay Marine Park is among the few remaining refuges for

these gentle marine mammals, representing the species’ most southerly

range. As many as 1000 dugongs inhabit the warm subtropical waters

of MBMP. Sometimes known as ‘sea cows’, they consume as much

as 40kg of seagrass a day, supplementing their diet with macro-

invertebrates such as sea squirts. MBMP is home to eight species of

seagrass in meadows that cover 12,500 ha. Seagrass isn’t just crucial

for dugongs. It can minimise the impact of climate change by acting as

a carbon sink, locking it in for thousands of years. To help monitor and

assess this resource, WPSQ’s ‘Seagrass Watch’ program was initiated

in 1998 as part of the Coastal Citizen Science Network. Now, 51 sites

around MBMP are regularly assessed by volunteers, and an evaluation

of the project by the Qld Parks and Wildlife Service found that citizen

scientists worked to tertiary-level compliance. Get involved with

Seagrass Watch by visiting wildlife.org.au/seagrasswatch/

A

COSTING NATURE

Photo: Shannon Mooney,

Healthy Land and Water

Seagrass can minimise the effects of

climate change, absorbing 35 times

the carbon that a rainforest would and

sequestering it for thousands of years.

28 | Wildlife Australia | SPRING 2017