OUR
MISSION, AIMS & OUTCOMES
We are an organisation devoted to the health and preservation of our coastal environment.
Our mission is to create a centre which provides our community with the tools and knowledge necessary to conserve, protect and restore our critically important and special coastal ecosystems.
OUR AIMS & OUTCOMES.
The work of the Centre will be focussed on achieving four broad outcomes:​
PARTNERSHIPS
An active and ongoing partnership between academia, local government, traditional owners, industry and community interests to share research and knowledge and use it to improve care for coastal environments
BLUEPRINT
An agreed blueprint for carbon capture and estuarine resilience against the impact of climate change that can be used to inform community activity
HOLISTIC KNOWLEDGE BASE
A holistic knowledge base about coastal zones and ICOLLs that integrates scientific, cultural historical and local data to support decision making
SHARING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
A ‘virtual ‘ space for sharing and extending scientific research and knowledge about ICOLLs
WHY AND HOW THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED.
PARTNERSHIPS
WHY
Sustainable conservation and/or restoration of coastal and ICOLL environments needs to draw on a range of expertise and skill. There is often little connection and communication between academia and industry on one hand and local community and cultural groups on the other.
Industry and academic experts have valuable knowledge but often lack local insight.
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Community groups have different experiences but may not be exposed to current research or the rationale for specific decisions made in government or industry. All can learn from each other and contribute their areas of expertise to create a more holistic approach to care of coastal environments.
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The partnership will bring people and organisations together around the specific issue of ICOLLs and coastal management so that they can share knowledge, skills, questions and ambitions and collaborate, where possible, on specific projects.
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HOW
The partnership will evolve and consolidate over time through two key mechanisms:
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The Centre website, which will include a data base of research and community knowledge, interactive learning guides, mechanisms for direct communications among site users and space for community based citizen science projects to develop and share activities
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Community workshops featuring trained academics, industry and government representatives, local knowledge holders and indigenous elders designed either to increase knowledge or to share practical skills for coastal and ICOLL conservation.
BLUE PRINT
WHY
Coastal habitats are among the environments most impacted by the effects of global warming and climate change, including rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and decreases in freshwater flows.
Our coastal environments are also at risk from anthropogenic impacts including pollution and urban development. However, coastal environments are often home to blude carbon vegetation that naturally sequesters and stores carbon dioxide, mitigating climate change.
We need to understand our local blue carbon vegetation and the ways in which we can restore and increase it, in order to protect ICOLLs.
HOW
Three activities will contribute to the development of the blueprint:
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The Centre website, which will include current knowledge on restoration and expansion of blue carbon vegetation and showcase project information as it develops
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Collaboration with local high schools to design and implement blue carbon projects (data collection and restoration)
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Citizen science projects that investigate specific questions about blue carbon storage and estuarine resilience against climate change
HOLISTIC KNOWLEDGE BASE
WHY
The health and management of ICOLLs and coastal zones is often examined through a strictly scientific lens, lacking the perspectives drawn from local historical and cultural knowledge. Insight into a broader base of knowledge and practice around each ICOLL will improve community care and government and industry decision making.
HOW
Two activities will contribute to the extension of the knowledge base:
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Consultation with Arakwal traditional owners about how they wish to be involved in coastal environment and ICOLL care
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Development of culturally appropriate mechanisms for sharing and integrating local indigenous values into research and restoration activities
SHARING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
WHY
ICOLLs are complex and poorly understood environmental systems and their management is equally complex and sometimes controversial. Each ICOLL is unique and there can be no single approach to their management.
NSW has around 70 ICOLLs along the coastline, making up 21% of ICOLLs worldwide. The systems have high cultural, social and ecological value but ICOLLs are predicted to be among the most endangered environments, mainly because of increased development and climate change. It is crucial to understand these coastal ecosystems in order to ensure their future health. The large number of ICOLLs in NSW make it imperative to share knowledge and research with community, industry and government, if they are to survive and thrive.
HOW
Three mechanisms will enable scientific knowledge sharing:
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The Centre’s website, which will enable regular updating and connection/interaction between users
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Citizen science projects that will fill in gaps of knowledge, so that the Centre begins to act as a living science project, continuously expanding knowledge on ICOLLs
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Workshops for community members to improve their knowledge and understanding of ICOLL science
