Kangaroo Island’s coastal and marine ecosystems are unique, with species diversity rivaling the Great Barrier Reef. In addition to their intrinsic value these ecosystems provide vital environmental services that enable us to live and breathe. Increasingly, these ecosystems are subject to many pressures including, coastal development, fishing, tourism and pollution. For the first time a coast and marine program, Oceans of Blue, is being implemented on Kangaroo Island by the KI NRM Board. This program aims to help protect and maintain Kangaroo Island’s coastal and marine habitats and biodiversity for the future.
Oceans of Blue is developing a scientifically rigorous and integrated system of measuring and reporting on the state of marine, coastal and estuarine environments of Kangaroo Island that:
- relates trends in the condition of biodiversity assets to changes in human uses of land and seascapes
- provides advice on targeting management actions to mitigate anthropogenic impacts where required
- empowers the public to respond to threats to natural resource condition and values.
The program contains two components:
1. An on-going, comprehensive Coastal, Estuarine and Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Program that:
- increases and improves knowledge about the composition and distribution of marine, coastal and estuarine biodiversity
- benchmarks and monitors trends in the condition of marine, coastal and estuarine biodiversity
- sets targets for biodiversity health
- establishes a regional framework of indicators and index sites for on-going monitoring
- accumulates knowledge about the processes threatening biodiversity assets and values
- assists in strategically targeting and prioritising on-ground works to improve marine, coastal and estuarine habitat quality and biodiversity condition.
2. A Community Participation Program that educates and supports the public in addressing natural resource management issues in the coastal zone. This component is developing the region’s capacity to implement effective conservation and management initiatives by:
- increasing community awareness and understanding of coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems and processes
- implementing a successful Reef Watch program on Kangaroo Island
- promoting local stewardship of coastal, estuarine and marine environments
- providing technical support, advice, information, training and extension services to community groups
- brokering partnerships between government, industry and community within the region.
Explore the results of the work undertaken by the Coast and Marine Team in the Document Library.
Above top right: The Coast and Marine Team habitat mapping along the north coast of Kangaroo Island. Image courtesy Department of Environment and Water Resources, Canberra.
Above bottom right: A Blue Devil from the north coast of Kangaroo Island. Image courtesy S.Leske.
Contact
Martine Kinloch, Coast and Marine Project Manager, KI NRM Board, ph: (08) 8553 4312
Daniel Brock, Coast and Marine Biodiversity Officer, KI NRM Board, ph: (08) 8553 4313