PROJECT 5.9: Natural habitats for coastal protection and carbon sequestration – Phase 2 of the National Centre for Coasts and Climate
Natural, created or restored habitats such as oyster reefs, mangroves and saltmarshes have the potential to provide coastal protection as well as enhance biodiversity and other ecosystem services, including food provision and improved water quality. These ‘living shorelines’ also have the potential to play an important role in climate mitigation and adaptation due to their ability to sequester carbon and reduce the threats of coastal erosion and flooding. However, many of these habitats have been lost or degraded throughout Australia. While restoration is a clear national priority for biodiversity conservation, there are still key uncertainties regarding the use of natural habitats for coastal protection and carbon sequestration.
Through the National Centre for Coasts and Climate (NCCC) we’re conducting case studies in blue carbon, coastal erosion and eco-engineering research to:
- develop a standard method for assessing changes in carbon stocks due to coastal ecosystem management activities
- develop an ecological and geomorphological index of dune resilience to coastal erosion, and
- assess the effectiveness of a hybrid living shoreline approach for habitat restoration and coastal protection.
In collaboration with key stakeholders, such as state and local governments and conservation groups, this research will be synthesised into a road map that identifies the next steps towards developing national guidelines for coastal habitat restoration and eco-engineering to inform on-ground coastal management actions.
For more information
Prof. Stephen Swearer, University of Melbourne
This project is contributing to the following climate challenges:
This project establishes a means to engage directly with coastal managers and develop useful information and tools they can use in their work. Our research into blue carbon and coastal erosion will inform management practices and adaptation activities.
Our investigation of blue carbon (carbon stored in marine and coastal habitats) will reduce uncertainty in regional carbon accumulation rate estimates and improve our understanding of the impact of coastal vegetation on the carbon cycle.
Publications and papers
- Morris RL, Hale R, Strain EMA, Reeves SE, Vergés A, Marzinelli EM, Layton C, Shelamoff V, Graham TDJ, Chevalier M, Swearer SE. 2020. Key Principles for Managing Recovery of Kelp Forests through Restoration, BioScience, biaa058 doi: 10.1093/biosci/biaa058 | Full paper
- Morris RL, Graham TDJ, Kelvin J, Ghisalberti M, Swearer SS. 2020. Kelp beds as coastal protection: wave attenuation of Ecklonia radiata in a shallow coastal bay, Annals of Botany, Volume 125 (2), 235–246, doi:10.1093/aob/mcz127 | Full paper
- O’Connor, JJ, Fest, BJ, Sievers, M, Swearer, SE. 2020. Impacts of land management practices on blue carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes in coastal ecosystems—A meta‐analysis, Global Change Biology, 1– 13, doi:10.1111/gcb.14946 | Pre-print version. An edited version of this paper was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | Abstract
- Eco-engineering and restoration of coastal habitats in Australia – synthesises the latest understanding of nature-based coastal defence, including how nature-based solutions can deliver more sustainable and adaptive methods to protect the coast.
- Coastal erosion under a changing climate – ESCC and NCCC researchers are improving the understanding of the underlying drivers of coastal erosion which will lead to improved predictions of future erosion.
- Climate change and blue carbon in Australia – ESCC and NCCC researchers have developed methods to reduce uncertainty in determining blue carbon accumulation rates, which will support the inclusion of blue carbon ecosystems in emission trading schemes.