2021-09-13 GC Agenda - Item 11 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Oyster Project Annual Report 2

Technical outputs

Restoration suitability model
The project used a standardized habitat suitability indices and geospatial decision support tools to confirm the
suitability of the Noosa River estuary for oyster ecosystem restoration. Known environmental and biological criteria
were compared with physical parameters of the estuary (i.e., bathymetry, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen).
Areas of the estuary which are suitable for oyster restoration were then rated for their suitability and presented,
geospatially (Figure 12). This work was completed in the previous reporting period, but new data sets recently made
available from authorities, namely Unity Water, enabled us to upgrade the model with more refined water quality
information.




Figure 12: Habitat suitability model

The project team then overlayed the ecological considerations, logistical constraints, and details of the built
infrastructure and human uses of the Noosa River to the model (i.e. proximity to seagrass and rocky reef, proximity



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