TEACHERS: TASMANIA'S MARINE DISCOVERY CENTRE

If you are a teacher in Tasmania, and you have the chance to do this, you should seriously consider a visit to the Woodbridge Marine Discovery Center. Your kids will have the best time and learn many very important things about this wonderful world!!




www.ausmepa.org.au

The Great Barrier Reef - What do people care about?

The Australian National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) have undertaken a study within their Tropical Water Quality Hub to determine what it is that people care about most in relation to the Great Barrier Reef's aesthetic and physical beauty. The study importantly bears weight on key criteria for listing the World Heritage Area as well as ecosystem health.

So what do people care about? 

Dr Nadine Marshall's CSIRO research has found that although the diversity on the reef relies on the coral system "people care more about abundant fish than live coral cover when rating the Great Barrier Reef’s physical beauty."

It seems that the 1500 Australian's tested may not fully recognise the direct correlation between healthy fish numbers and corals. Find out more about the study here

If you, your students or community wish to actively contribute to the ongoing education and growing body of knowledge about corals in your area you may want to check out Coral Watch here.

If you are a teacher you may be excited to use the free online resources and units of work at www.ausmepa.org.au under the Educators tab http://www.ausmepa.org.au/educators/

Container Deposit Scheme helps keep beaches clean

Australia is surrounded by sea. Disused packaging inevitably finds its way to the sea and back onto our beaches.

In years gone by Victoria had a return bottle and can for cash scheme which unfortunately was rescinded many years ago. They do have an active recycling program and some scrap metal businesses will buy cans for cash.

However South Australia who started their scheme in 1977 are now celebrating forty years in protecting the environment in this way. See more here

In 2012 the Northern Territory started a Cash For Containers program that has been going great guns and substantially reducing the number of containers going to tips or let loose into the wild.

Western Australia is going for a Cash-for-can recycling scheme where people will receive 10 cents for returning beer and spirit bottles, soft drink cans and various non-alcoholic bottles as well as small, flavoured milk cartons.

New South Wales with their Return and Earn and Queensland with their single use plastic bag band and Cash for Cans programs are coming on-board now too. 

Here is a map provided by Wikipedia showing the recent changes and how Australian states and territories are moving toward South Australia's lead.

Good onya Aussies!! Only Victoria and Tasmania remain at sea.

These container desposit schemes will be a boon for our receiving waters and beaches that beset by plastic and packaging. 

www.ausmepa.org.au

Port of Brisbane's project to protect run-off water quality to the bay

The Port of Brisbane have been doing some great things to offset the challenges of water quality in Moreton Bay, Queensland.
And it starts upstream!








www.ausmepa.org.au

How We Can Keep Plastics Out of Our Ocean | National Geographic

National Geographic has excellent informational resources. Here is one on pollution entering the sea. Packaging and various chemicals have been a boon and a scourge as they take their place alongside of the natural flotsam and jetsam.

How do we turn a problem into a solution? Here are some ideas.





www.ausmepa.org.au

TROPHIC CASCADE: How whales change climate

If you haven't been following any stories on Trophic Cascading then please view these videos. They are amazingly profound. We've long talked about food webs and their importance however these videos provide a depth of understanding that has been missing in the lay person's understanding. It shows us so clearly and makes us more fully aware of what tampering with these chains or webs can mean in a more holistic sense.

The first clip is a MUST SEE about whales and how their lives impact on us.



The second clip is just as amazing and speaks how wolf populations in North America affect water quality and upstream river integrity.



The third is a trophic cascade study of sharks and seagrass that took place in Shark Bay, Western Australia.




www.ausmepa.org.au

From the Catchment to Corner Inlet

West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority has put in some great partnership work to help protect the health of a world class wetland at Corner Inlet, Victoria. This video shows water quality improvement from the farms to the coastal segrass through awarness and action.