2015-11-10 - P&O Agenda - Item 7, Attach 3 - History of Aquatic Restoration and Management Options for Noosa Estuary and Lakes

Dr Melanie Bishop
Macquarie University

Melanie is a recognised expert in estuarine ecology including
assessing natural and human-mediated processes that control
coastal biodiversity and its important ecosystem functions. She
uses manipulative field experiments to investigate effects of
local and global changes, often producing results that could not
have been predicted using theoretical or modelling approaches
alone.
She brings relevant skills in restoration of estuaries, particularly
in identifying existing stressors in the system and working on
relevant solutions to reduce or remove these prior to restoration activities. She is
particularly interested in the use of bio-engineers (habitat transforming species, such as
oysters) to restore degraded habitats. Recent research highlights include providing one
of the first assessments of how positive interactions among species can maintain
biodiversity and change during environmental stressors. This research provides a useful
mechanistic understanding for restoring functional ecosystems on large scales.



Dr Paul Maxwell
Manager Science & Innovation - Healthy Waterways

Paul currently leads science and innovation at Healthy Waterways. He is
responsible for ensuring that the science underpinning the healthy
waterways assessments is rigorous and independent. He is an expert in
assessing resilience in coastal ecosystems, particularly the feedback
mechanisms that maintain the structure and function of seagrass
ecosystems. He has a background in working on integrating science,
effective communication and management, including working on the multi-disciplinary
Environmental Health Monitoring Program in SE Queensland.