New partnership network helps to protect Australian mangroves and saltmarsh.

MangroveWatch and the new Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network are helping to link communities and promote information sharing to improve monitoring and management of coastal habitats

Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear ‘ghost nets’ are increasing through time in Northern Australia

The remote Gulf of Carpentaria (GoC) represents 10% of Australia’s coastline. This large, shallow sea supports high value fishing activities and habitat for threatened species, and is a sink for abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) ‘ghost nets’, most originating from fishing activities outside of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. With growing concerns about the plastic waste along the world’s coastlines, we retrospectively analyzed ghost net sighting information from four aerial surveys across 15 years, to investigate whether densities of ghost nets are changing through time or in space. We found an increase in ghost nets, despite more than a decade of illegal fishing countermeasure and clean-up efforts in the broader region. This demonstrates that the input of ALDFG into the system currently overwhelms the substantial net removal activities. We make recommendations for improving monitoring and consider the underlying drivers of nets being lost to improve ghost gear management on land and at sea

Social identity mapping in addiction recovery (SIM-AR): extension and application of a visual method

Background: The Social Identity approach offers a unifying framework for understanding recovery from addiction as a process of identity change, associated with change in social network composition. This paper introduces Social Identity Mapping in Addiction Recovery (SIM-AR) — a visual method for capturing social group memberships, extended to integrate the substance use ‘status’ of group members as an indicator of group substance use norms. The aim here is to test theory-derived predictions focused on the relationship between changes in social identity and network composition reflected in substance use norms in early recovery. Method: 155 therapeutic community (TC) residents in Victoria, Australia, completed the SIM-AR plus measures of substance-using and recovery identities and substance use shortly after admission, and 65% (N=101) again 6 months later. Results: As predicted, substance use severity at follow up was associated with changes in both social identity and network composition. Furthermore, reduced strength of substance-using identity was associated with a decrease in the proportion of groups with heavy substance use norms, while increased strength of ‘recovery’ identity was associated with an increased proportion of non-using groups. Conclusion: SIM-AR proved useful in testing predictions about social identity and network changes in a residential treatment context. It captured key social identity constructs in recovery using a visual technique with value to both research and applied contexts. Findings highlight the clinical importance of assessing a person’s group-based relationships in treatment and early recovery, especially the influence of social group norms in relation to substance use

ENSO-driven extreme oscillations in mean sea level destabilise critical shoreline mangroves—An emerging threat

Recent ENSO-related, extreme low oscillations in mean sea level, referred to as ‘Taimasa’ in Samoa, have destabilised shoreline mangroves of tropical northern Australia, and possibly elsewhere. In 1982 and 2015, two catastrophic Taimasa each resulted in widespread mass dieback of ~76 km2 of shoreline mangroves along 2,000 km of Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria. For the 2015 event, we determined that a temporary drop in sea level of ~0.4 metres for up to six months duration caused upper zone shoreline mangroves across the region to die from severe moisture deficit and desiccation. The two dramatic collapse events revealed a previously unrecognised vulnerability of semi-arid tidal wetland habitats to more extreme ENSO influences on sea level. In addition, we also observed a relationship between annual sea level oscillations and mangrove forest productivity where seasonal oscillations in mean sea level were co-incident with regular annual mangrove leaf growth during months of higher sea levels (March-May), and leaf shedding during lower sea levels (September-November). The combination of these periodic fluctuations in sea level defined a mangrove ‘Goldilocks’ zone of seasonal productivity during median-scale oscillations, bracketed by critical threshold events when sea levels became unusually low, or high. On the two occasions reported here when sea levels were extremely low, upper zone mangrove vegetation died en masse in synchrony across northern Australia. Such extreme pulse impacts combined with localised stressors profoundly threaten the longer-term survival of mangrove ecosystems and their benefits, like minimisation of shoreline erosion with rising sea levels. These new insights into such critical influences of climate and sea level on mangrove forests offer further affirmation of the urgency for implementing well-considered mitigation efforts for the protection of shoreline mangroves at risk, especially given predictions of future re-occurrences of extreme events affecting sea levels, combined with on-going pressure of rapidly rising sea levels

Social group membership before treatment for substance dependence predicts early identification and engagement with treatment communities

Social relationships play a major role in recovery from substance dependence. To date, greater attention has been paid to the role of important individuals in a person’s life and their contribution to recovery following treatment. This study is the first to examine both individual and wider group-based social connections in the lead up to residential treatment for substance misuse in a therapeutic community (TC), and their influence both on a person’s readiness to engage with the treatment community and with a recovery pathway. Participants were 307 adults interviewed early in treatment about their individual- and group-based social relationships prior to treatment entry, their social identification with the TC, as ‘a user’ and a person ‘in recovery’, their current recovery capital and quality of life. Correlational analysis showed that only pre-treatment group-based, and not individual, relationships, were significantly associated with developing social identification with the TC early in treatment. Moreover, results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that identification with the TC was best predicted by the extent to which people saw themselves as being in recovery. Finally, mediation analysis indicated that TC identification was the mechanism through which social group memberships prior to treatment commencement protected quality of life in the early phases of treatment. These findings highlight the protective role that group memberships play in building early identification with the TC and supporting well-being in a critical period of transitioning to treatment

Winners and losers as mangrove, coral and seagrass ecosystems respond to sea-level rise in Solomon Islands

A 2007 earthquake in the western Solomon Islands resulted in a localised subsidence event in which sea level (relative to the previous coastal settings) rose approximately 30-70 cm, providing insight into impacts of future rapid changes to sea level on coastal ecosystems. Here, we show that increasing sea level by 30-70 cm can have contrasting impacts on mangrove, seagrass and coral reef ecosystems. Coral reef habitats were the clear winners with a steady lateral growth from 2006-2014, yielding a 157% increase in areal coverage over seven years. Mangrove ecosystems, on the other hand, suffered the largest impact through a rapid dieback of 35% (130 ha) of mangrove forest in the study area after subsidence. These forests, however, had partially recovered seven years after the earthquake albeit with a different community structure. The shallow seagrass ecosystems demonstrated the most dynamic response to relative shifts in sea level with both losses and gains in areal extent at small scales of 10-100 m. The results of this study emphasize the importance of considering the impacts of sea-level rise within a complex landscape in which winners and losers may vary over time and space

Public perceptions of mangrove forests matter for their conservation

Abstract not available

Pioneering mangrove monitoring program partners experts with the community

Australia’s first community ‘watch’ program for mangroves that addresses both scientific and environmental management needs is underway. Such a monitoring system has never before been conducted by a partnership between community members and scientists

ECY Report 2017. Final report: East Cape York shoreline environmental surveys

1. This Report documents the status and major findings of the East Cape York shoreline aerial surveys lead by Dr Norm Duke and Jock Mackenzie from James Cook University (JCU) TropWATER Centre MangroveWatch Hub. 2. Aerial surveys were successfully undertaken as proposed. Survey works were achieved over 7 days between 29 May and 4 June 2017. During this time, a total time of 31.5 hours was spent on the survey acquiring specific shoreline imagery for the record and for later assessment. Observations and filming were undertaken along the far north-eastern section of the Australian shoreline using a R44 helicopter flying at an altitude of around 150 metres. The survey covered a distance of nearly 1,500 km of the Australian mainland east coast of Cape York Peninsula from just north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York; representing around 25% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park mainland shoreline. 3. The aim of this shoreline survey was to systematically record and investigate the condition of shorelines, the mangrove vegetation, and the health of tidal wetlands in all the major estuarine systems. 4. A key outcome of the aerial survey is a baseline database or library of 52,187 geotagged oblique images covering every metre of shoreline plus a series of inland profiles extending to the upper limits of tidal inundation in 49 estuarine outlets. The number of images were roughly equal in number for shorelines (~26,653 images), and those taken on inland profiles (~25,534 images). The complete set of imagery are available for further evaluation by interested specialists who are encouraged to add further systematic search criteria, and to evaluate change in future surveys. 5. Detailed observations of current drivers of change and severity of impacts were scored at 28 major estuarine sites, from south to north including: Mowbray River, Dickson Inlet area, Daintree River, Coopers Creek area, Bloomfield River, Bauer Creek area, Walker Bay area, Annan River, Endeavour River, McIvor River, Starcke River area, Jeannie River, Muck River area, four Princess Charlotte Bay estuaries (see Note), Stewart River, Nesbit River, Lockhart River, Claudie River, Pascoe River, Hunter Inlet, Olive River, Macmillan River, Harmer River, Escape River and Jacky Jacky Creek. [Note: Marrett, Normanby, Bizant & North Kennedy Rivers in Princess Charlotte Bay were surveyed in 2015 as part of the Reef Rescue MangroveWatch eastern Normanby Basin with Kalpowar Land Trust (Mackenzie & Duke 2016)] 6. The current shoreline and estuarine evaluations identified 33 tidal wetland and shoreline habitat issues: some were associated with rising sea levels, severe and frequent storms, while others resulted from feral animals plus other seemingly uncontrolled but damaging local land management practices. Issues were divided into direct and indirect human causes, plus others not obviously related to human activities (for the most part, ‘natural’ causes). The most notable and dominant issue was shoreline retreat, coupled with landward transgressions of saline water and tidal wetland vegetation. 7. A useful outcome has been to report on previously unrecognised notable impacts on shoreline habitats along this north-eastern section of the Queensland coast. These include: a) localised impacts like severe damage to 400- 600 ha of mangroves most likely caused by Tropical Cyclones ‘Ita’ in 2014 and ‘Nathan’ in 2015 near to the Starcke River, and notable damage and impoundment of around 100 ha of mangroves most likely caused by Tropical Cyclones ‘22P’ in 2005 and/or ‘Monica’ in 2006 near to and including Night Island just north of the Nesbit River; b) generalised severe impacts like terrestrial retreat and shoreline erosion that increased from southern to northern estuaries and respective sections of shoreline – consistent with an increasing trend northward in recorded rates of sea level rise. 8. Such incidents are indicative of the state, condition and health of shorelines, and these data were used to quantify dominant environmental drivers. A robust and pragmatic classification system developed by Duke and Mackenzie (this report) quantifies ongoing and emerging environmental issues, including: impacts by feral pigs; shoreline erosion and deterioration; and landward transgression associated with saline encroachment. These are considered emerging dominant environmental issues. Such occurrences are considered to be consequences of shoreline ecosystem responses to global climate change, particularly rising sea levels. 9. These data provide overall information on condition and severe changes taking place in critical northern GBR shoreline ecosystems. Accordingly, habitat condition have been linked to specific drivers of change. This information is necessary for guiding and directing well-informed, local and national management priorities by targeting specific and identifiable issues, their severity, and their likely causes. The findings of this survey compliment pre-existing, on-going and future resource assessments of shoreline environments and intertidal wetland habitats. 10. This survey provides the first continuous recording of oblique views showing every metre of coastal shorelines of north-eastern Cape York Peninsula - as a working database of 52,187 high resolution images. This record is a lasting primary reference for baseline visual characterisations up to and after May-June 2017