2021-01-18 GC - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation 2019 20 Annual Report

                                                    NOOSA BIOSPHERE RESERVE FOUNDATION – 2019/20




Discovering Noosa’s Native Oyster Diversity: Assessing natural oyster resources in the
Noosa River to restore a functional estuary.

Shellfish reefs are culturally, economically, and           Outcomes
ecologically important but have almost entirely             Results of the initial investigations into adult and
disappeared from Australia’s coastlines. In the             juvenile rock oyster diversity. A total of four
Noosa estuary, oysters were once abundant but               species were identified using a combination of
have not recovered since the late 19th century.             methods including investigations using DNA.
The Noosa estuary appears to be a melting pot for           Additional testing of the ability of eDNA
both warm and cool climate species, and although            techniques to detect oyster species is being
a variety of oysters have been recorded, DNA                processed at the moment, where researchers are
evidence is required for confident identification.          assessing the presence of the compliment of
                                                            oyster DNA present at several sites within the
Due to differences in the biology and habitat               estuary.
preferences of oyster species some are likely to
be more suitable for shellfish reef restoration             Reports
projects than others, but this knowledge of which           Assessing natural resources in the Noosa
oyster to use and when is limited for places like           Biosphere to restore a functional estuary:
Noosa.                                                      interim report

In this project, launched in July 2019, Griffith            Status
University has used traditional collection methods          The results of this final component of the work
as well as CSI-like environmental DNA technology            will be provided in late January 2021.
to test the diversity of species present, building on
the existing knowledgebase developed through                Proponent
NBRF and its research partners in existing                  Griffith University
projects. We hope that the new methods used
will help us to detect oyster species that are rare         Partner
or that live in areas that are difficult to access;         Ecological Service Professionals (ESP)
perhaps it will even be able to tell us whether the
elusive “Noosa Mud Oyster” still occurs.


                                                 PROJECT VALUE
       NBRF FUNDING                CASH & IN-KIND            PROJECT VALUE                   LEVERAGE
           $10,000                     $20,700                    $30,700                       3:1




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