Seagrass Monitoring and Research Ports North

Principal Investigator

Ports North in partnership with James Cook University’s TropWATER Seagrass Ecology Group have been engaged in seagrass monitoring and research programs in the Ports of Cairns, Mourilyan, Karumba and Thursday Island since at least 2001. The monitoring programs involve annual surveys that are conducted between October and December each year (Thursday Island is conducted in February/March). underpinning major research initatives and our understanding of tropical seagrass ecology. The monitoring programs: • Provide a regular update of the marine environmental health of the ports • Satisfy commitments linked to maintenance dredging and sea disposal approvals • Provide an assessment of seagrass condition and resilience to inform port management. In addition to monitoring, the program is utilised and leveraged for broader initiatives and contributions for joint research and activities including providing: • A key information feed and contribution to regional report cards including Wet Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waterways and for Torres Strait Reporting • A link to Traditional Owner participation in environmental monitoring and research • A range of value-added seagrass research projects including leveraged funding from Australian Government and industry funded research programs investigating seagrass recovery and restoration

12 Sep 2025 - 31 Dec 2030

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