queensland parks & wildlife response to keppel bay ... · • keppel bay reefs show high...
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Queensland Parks & Wildlife
Response to Keppel Bay
Floodwaters 2008
Chris Maple, Senior Ranger Rosslyn Bay; &
John Olds, Senior Conservation Officer
Great Barrier Reef
World Heritage Area
• Includes all islands & marine areas up to HWM between Cape York and Baffle Creek– Includes Island National Parks
– Great Barrier Reef Marine Park; &
– GBR Coast Marine Park
Emerald Agreement
• Agreement between
Commonwealth and State
for joint management of
WHA
• Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority responsible
for policy and planning
• Environmental Protection
Agency/Queensland Parks
& Wildlife responsible for
Day to Day Management
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
– Compliance;
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
– Compliance;
– Education;
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
– Compliance;
– Education; &
– Infrastructure
management.
Day to Day Management
• Includes:– Natural Resource
Management;
– Compliance,
– Education; &
– Infrastructure
management.
• 2008 Fitzroy Flood
response is part of
NRM component
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
• Logistic support:
included;– Providing vessel
platform support to
JCU, AIMS & CSIRO;
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
• Logistic support:
included;– Providing vessel
platform support to
JCU, AIMS & CSIRO;
&
– Staff & equipment
storage and transfer
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
• Surface
monitoring
– Opportunistic
mapping of
plume extent
– Reported to
FBA/GBRMPA
‘Flood Updates’
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
• Aerial monitoring
– Spatial mapping of
plume extent
during flood peaks
in Keppel Bay
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
• Aerial monitoring– Spatial mapping of
plume extent during flood peaks in Keppel Bay
– Reported to FBA/GBRMPA ‘Flood Updates’
– Complemented satellite monitoring during cloudy days
DDM response to Keppel Bay
February 2008 flood events
Reef observationsDespite high turbidity and very low salinities;
Keppel Bay reefs (except southernmost ones) showed minimal or no signs of flood-induced mortality
Confirmed through ongoing AIMS monitoring
Western Miall Island
29 Feb 2008
Peak Island
29 Feb 2008
Halfway Island
29 Feb 2008
Barren Island
29 Feb 2008
Where to now?• Keppel Bay reefs show
high resilience relative to rest of GBR
– Means that corals have high tolerance and high recoverability characteristics
– Combined GBRMPA/EPA approach to Climate Change (Coral Bleaching Response Plan)
– DDM contributing to resilience component of Keppel Project
Keppel Project: Resilience component• Includes:
– Bathymetry mapping of key habitats
– Mapping and classifying coral coverage in key habitats
– Collecting anchoring data
– Determining most resilient reefs
– Implementing any protection as determined by community