East Normanby Basin Project
The MangroveWatch East Normanby Basin Project was initiated in 2014 as a partnership between Balkanu, James Cook University MangroveWatch and the Alka-Bawar Land Trust to address ongoing and emerging natural resource management issues in the extensive tidal wetland systems of eastern Princess Charlotte Bay that threaten the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Recent reports by Brooks, Spencer et al. (2013) and others (Howley, Shellberg et al. 2013) have highlighted potentially large sediment inputs to the Northern GBR originating from erosion of tidal wetland systems in Princess Charlotte Bay.
Location
Princess Charlotte Bay is situated on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula between Cairns and Cape York.
Group Support Base
with the National Landcare Programme
Goals
The aim of the East-Normanby MangroveWatch program is to work with traditional owners to assess tidal wetland condition through the collection of geo-tagged imagery. This imagery can then be used to assess future. Imagery data is to be enhanced by the collection of on-ground targeted data collection. The partnership between scientists and traditional owners is designed to identify management and conservation issues, and implement strategic on-ground actions informed by a scientific approach. This program will establish an on-going knowledge exchange between traditional owners of Princess Charlotte Bay, tidal wetland scientists and resource managers, to ensure Princess Charlotte Bay tidal wetland habitats maintain their ecological, economic and culturally significant values into the future.
2016 Project Achievements
• 9 Traditional Owners from Alka-Bawar Land Trust engaged in mangrove monitoring and assessment
• 11 day field-trip to East Normanby, Princess Charlotte Bay to undertake bi-annual MangroveWatch surveys assessing tidal wetland values and threats. Field Trip: 23rd August to 3rd September, 2016.
• Repeat boat-based shoreline video (S-VAM) upriver surveys of the Marrett, Normanby, Bizant and Kennedy estuary systems, totalling 337 km of shoreline re-surveyed and 22.5 hours of shoreline footage with 356 points of interest marked and 2,968 photo points.
• 851 leaf samples collected and measured from 31 upriver sampling sites in 4 estuaries for leaf area and nutrient resorption efficiency (NRE) assessment.
• 457 km of aerial survey imagery over 4 hrs and 4 mins flying time. 7,875 oblique still survey images and 5,254 additional oblique landscape images. Additional 23 km of baseline imagery coastal and coastal ecotone baseline imagery from West of the Kennedy River.
Gallery Highlights
Reports
Mackenzie, J. R. (2015). MangroveWatch in East Nomanby Basin with Kalpowar Land Trust: Interim Data Report. Townsville, MangroveWatch Science Hub, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research. Publication, James Cook University: 70pp.
Mackenzie, J. R. (2015). MangroveWatch Princess Charlotte Bay 2014 Activity Report. Townsville, MangroveWatch Science Hub, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research. Publication, James Cook University: 20pp.
Mackenzie, J.R. and N.C. Duke (2016). Improving climate change resilience and reducing sediment runoff through better mangrove management in Princess Charlotte Bay. Townsville, MangroveWatch Science Hub, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University: 80pp.
Mackenzie, J.R. and N.C. Duke (2017). Alka-Bawar (Kalpowar) MangroveWatch Field Report 2016. MangroveWatch Science Hub, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research. Publication, James Cook University, Townsville: 20pp.
Get More Information
Contact: mangrovewatch@gmail.com
