Volunteers rally to protect Australia’s ‘unique south’

Community volunteers are collecting valuable information about the health of temperate reefs off South Australia as part of a program to build awareness about Australia's ‘unique south’.

While the reefs of Australia’s cooler southern waters contain a far greater variety of marine life than more well-known reefs in warmer tropical climates such as the Great Barrier Reef, they are poorly understood.

The Reef Watch program aims to improve understanding of the species that inhabit this region that scientists are calling the ‘unique south’, by getting volunteer divers and snorkellers involved in monitoring activities.

Funding

Reef Watch is run by the Conservation Council of South Australia and receives funding from the Australian Government through Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.

The program is also supported by the Northern and Yorke, Kangaroo Island, Eyre Peninsula and South East Natural Resource Management Boards and the State Government.

Activities

The Council’s Marine program Manager Chris Ball said Reef Watch conducted a range of awareness-raising activities.

“It might be a public lecture, or a species identification workshop in which people learn about native species such as the brightly-coloured Harlequin Fish,” Chris said

“People are often astounded to discover that most of the species in our southern waters - the fish, molluscs, sea stars and sea urchins - are unique to temperate Australia.”

There are also free underwater training sessions for divers and snorkellers who are interested in carrying out reef surveys. The survey techniques taught can be easily mastered by non-scientists, but are robust enough to produce high-quality, scientifically-credible information on ecosystem health.

“This information is then disseminated to the broader community to encourage marine managers and policy makers to make more informed decisions,” Chris said.

Achievements

Chris said another Reef Watch initiative, Feral or In Peril, encourages volunteers to look for introduced species that can threaten the marine ecosystem, as well as native species in danger of disappearing.

“Experience shows it's much easier to eradicate marine pests if they're discovered early on,” he said. “But since few people ever see the underwater environment it's vital that divers and snorkellers keep an eye out for species such as the Northern Pacific Seastar and report them quickly.”

Another initiative for people who don't dive or snorkel is a program to monitor rocky intertidal reefs – those areas exposed at low tide.

More information

1. Chris Ball, Marine Program Manager, Conservation Council of SA: (08) 8223 5155 or coastal@ccsa.asn.au
   Reef Watch 

Australian Government NRM Team
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
1800 552 008 (toll-free)

DEWHA  | DAFF  | australia.gov.au  | NAP  | NHT 
Caring for our Country is an Australian Government initiative jointly administered by the Australian Government departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts