2022-10-24 General Committee Meeting- Item 7 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Oyster Ecosystem Restoration Project - Final Report (1)

TNC Project Management Plan 2020
The Project Management Plan including Communications Plan and Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) Plan were
endorsed by NC in 2000.

See Annexes 23 & 24

TNC Project Restoration Plan 2022
The Project Restoration Plan effectively updated the Project Management Plan and included updated and expanded
information relevant to government permitting processes specifically as they related to the on-water reef construction works.
The plan was submitted with permit applications to NC and the Queensland State Government.

See Annex 34

TNC permit conditions 2022
TNC is bound beyond the term of the Agreement, to undertake reef maintenance, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting in
accordance with the conditions attached to development approval for reef construction works. The period of these
conditions is 5-8 years, subject to review after 5 years.

See Annexes 13,14 & 16


Project context
Past research projects demonstrated that the Noosa River estuary has sufficient oyster recruitment and survival, and
invertebrate colonization, at a number of locations to make the estuary a viable place to pursue an oyster ecosystem
restoration project at scale.

The primary goal of the Project is to restore functionally extinct oyster-dominated ecosystems (beds and reefs) and other
associated oyster species, in the Noosa River estuary. These ecosystems benefit nature and people.

Historically, oyster ecosystems were prolific throughout the Noosa River estuary. They were created predominantly by rock
oysters (such as Saccostrea glomerata), which, in association with other oyster species, formed three-dimensional ‘natural
infrastructures’ in the river, either forming ‘beds’ of low relief or ‘reefs’ of high relief. Oyster ecosystems provide valuable fish
habitat and substantial ecological services to coastal ecosystems (Peterson et al 2003; Beck et al 2011; Grabowski et al 2012).
Oysters are ecosystem engineer species capable of improve ecosystem function and providing habitat for other organisms
(Grabowski et al 2012).

Oyster ecosystems thus added extensive ‘natural infrastructure’ to the estuary and provided the estuary with a range of
environmental functions. These included providing complex habitats for marine species (the diverse habitats typically consist
of fish, invertebrates, corals, ascidians, lace corals, encrusting sponges and algae); filtering water and removing suspended
sediment and pollution; processing nutrients; providing bank stabilization and protection; and, providing complex vertical and
horizontal living spaces, and feeding grounds, for a multitude of intertidal and marine creatures, which are today important
for marine and coastal lifestyle and tourism activities such as fishing, diving and bird watching.

The recognition of the significant contribution of oyster ecosystems led to their recognition as an important wetland habitat
type in the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (The Ramsar Convention – habitat type ‘Ga’) (Kasoar et al.
2015).

Key related references include:

Kasoar T, zu Ermgassen PS, Carranza A, Hancock B, & Spalding M. 2015. New opportunities for conservation of a threatened
biogenic habitat: a worldwide assessment of knowledge on bivalve-reef representation in marine and coastal Ramsar Sites.
Marine and Freshwater Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF14306

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