Regional monitoring launched in 2007, with a notable expansion of sites in 2009. With a decade of data, we’re making our mark and working to closely connect citizen science with the decision making process.
Key achievements
2017 marked a decade of reef monitoring in the Moreton Bay region. This represents of the of longest consistent reef monitoring programs across the region, made possible by citizen science.
Throughout 2015 & 2016, we undertook a reef habitat mapping project in partnership with The University of Queensland’s Remote Sensing Research Centre and Healthy Waterways and Catchments. Trained volunteers conducted hundreds of spot checks across the Bay to document habitat types and make-up. UQ researchers used the field data to refine reef extent maps for the first time in a decade. The data has been used for the annual Healthy Land & Water Report Card and is available for other natural resource management applications including Marine Park management and zoning, and the SEQ Natural Resource Management Plan.
In 2016, we worked with the awesome team at University of Queensland's UniDive to successfully nominate Moreton Bay as a Hope Spot. Hope Spots are marine areas critical to the health of the ocean and deserving special protection. This is one of only 76 locations worldwide that have been reviewed and accepted by Mission Blue and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). While acknowledged for its unique marine wildlife and habitats, the nomination also considered the extraordinary community effort being contributed through citizen science.