Seagrasses have been monitored annually in Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet since 2001. Each year all seagrass monitoring meadows representing the range of different seagrass community types found in Cairns are mapped and assessed for changes in biomass and species composition. These metrics are then used to develop a seagrass condition index (Map 1). In addition to the established annual monitoring program, regular assessments of seagrass condition (quarterly), seed bank density and viability, and benthic light (continuously logged) are conducted at a key seagrass recovery site within the Ellie Point to the Esplanade intertidal meadow (site E; Map 1) from June 2014
