Amended Noosa Project Restoration Plan V12_5

Society for Ecological Restoration International Standards6 and TNC’s Oyster Habitat Restoration
Monitoring and Assessment Handbook9.

The definition of ecological restoration applied is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem
that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The process involves moving a destroyed or degraded
ecosystem along a measurable trajectory of recovery that is persistent in the future and reflective of a
natural evolutionary path.

Importantly, ecological restoration, as applied in this project, differs from artificial reefs, in that their
purpose is to restore oyster ecosystems in areas where they once existed, or are currently degraded,
rather than introducing artificial substrates (e.g. concrete reef balls).

This project responds to the loss of natural hard substrates in the Noosa River by re-introducing locally
sourced rock in configurations that rock oysters and associated species (e.g. pearl oysters, leaf oysters,
hairy mussels, tunicates and macroalgae) readily colonise. The design and placement of the rock
substrate considers historic location of oyster beds plus physical features, such as aspect, height,
dimensions and rugosity in a way that can help mitigate physical and biological threats to the recovering
ecosystem such as smothering, heat, erosion, predation and human disturbance.

To some of the rock substrate, the project adds relatively small volumes of desiccated (cured) oyster
shell to create a composite base of rock and shell. The combination of rock and shell mimics the shell
‘hash’ that would otherwise be formed by generations of oysters recruiting onto themselves, but which
has since been lost from the estuary.

Rock substrates are also hand-seeded with oyster shell (cultch) seeded with oyster spat, and/or live
oysters. Seeding of the substrate with live oysters ensures the target density of oysters is achieved,
effectively ‘kick starting’ and accelerating the restoration process. Augmentation also acts as an
insurance policy against low natural oyster recruitment onto the restoration substrate. Brood stock for
oyster seeding is collected from the Noosa River. The seeding process is undertaken in a bio-secure
facility in close liaison with government biosecurity officers.

Restoration targets for oysters are presented in Section 8.3 Environmental Safeguards. Table 8.3.

1.5 Timeline

Phase I Pilot Phase – 2021-2023

Phase I works involve deploying oyster bed restoration substrates, i.e. rock (augmented with small
volumes of oyster shell and seeded oyster ‘cultch’), in the following restoration sites:

     1.   Tewantin
     2.   Goat Island
     3.   Noosa Sound East
     4.   Noosa Sound West




9
 Baggett LP, Powers SP, Brumbaugh R, Coen LD, DeAngelis B, Greene J, Hancock B and Morlock S (2014). Oyster habitat restoration
monitoring and assessment handbook. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, USA. 96 pp.
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