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

        What next?
        Construction of the oyster reef patches is anticipated to
        commence this summer.



        Why oyster beds and reefs?
        Scientific evidence and historical knowledge from
        Indigenous Australians, fishers and community members
        has provided unequivocal evidence that oyster-dominated
        ecosystems were once very common throughout Noosa
        and many other Australian estuaries.
        These ecosystems collapsed over a hundred years ago,
        changing the way the estuary behaves and how fish and
        marine life use the estuary. We know from other
        restoration projects in Australia and around the world
        that restoring oyster ecosystems helps improve the
        variety of marine habitats available for marine life to use,
        especially fish that use the oyster reefs and beds for
        shelter and as nurseries and feeding grounds.
        The cracks and crevices found within oyster reefs and
        beds provide shelter and homes for a huge range of
        invertebrates, like those depicted in the images below.
        Oyster ecosystems have also been shown to protect
        shorelines from erosion by acting as physical barriers to
        waves, which means they help keep the shoreline intact
        for longer and can help prevent land from washing away.



           For a copy of the project brochure, view Frequently
           Asked Questions or to get an overview of TNC’s
           national shellfish restoration project, visit:
           https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/Noosa




    Photo credits from top: © Ian McLeod; © Ian McLeod; © Lisa Bostrom-Einarsson;
    © Ian McLeod.




4                                    The Nature Conservancy Australia