A new joint project between government and a local environmental council is aiming to bolster the security and protection of our estuary.
The Australian Research Council Linkage project brings Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, two State Government departments, two local governments and over 20 experts from four universities together to assess the current management of the Swan Coastal Plain.
Titled 'Balancing estuarine and societal health in a changing environment' the project focuses on the Swan Coastal Plain which accounts for much of our 4000km local waterways and is degraded due to past and present management practices in our catchment.
The group will investigate the links between catchment management and downstream effects and will use the information to predict changes in estuary health in response to changes in catchment land uses and estuary management.
Key things the group will look at include inappropriate land uses, alteration of natural watercourses and construction of artificial drains.
There are concerns the construction of such drains have created sediment and reduced water quality in the catchment which, in turn, can lead to algal blooms or fish kills in the lower reaches of the rivers, such as those that occurred in the Murray River in the autumn of 2017, and in the estuary itself.
There is already water quality monitoring underway across the estuary and wider catchment with plans to produce a report on current conditions at the Peel-Harvey estuary.
This research will guide decision-making across the catchment, including the internationally recognised Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar wetlands site.
The Peel Estuary ARC-Linkage Project commenced in 2016 and will conclude in 2019.
Research is led by Murdoch University's Fiona Valesini and Chris Hallett and University of WA's Matt Hipsey along with scientists from Southern Cross University (NSW), University of Hull (UK) and the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, WA Department of Premier and Cabinet, the City of Mandurah and the Shire of Murray are all partner organisations involved with the project too.
The Partners and Research Team contributed $640,000 in cash and $1.9M in-kind to the project which was used to lever a $541,000 contribution from the Australian Research Council.
This research was partially funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council.
The Peel Estuary ARC-Linkage Project commenced in 2016 and will conclude in 2019
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