Woongarra Coast Monitoring & Education Project (WCMEP) is a community group interested in marine conservation and coastal resource management in the Bundaberg region.

Since 2001, the WCMEP group has collaborated with CQU Bundaberg and CQU Centre for Environmental Management on monitoring coastal water quality, marine organisms and fringing coral reef, including coral bleaching, and has promoted awareness of stormwater quality.

Water testing underway

WCMEP is currently working under Australian Government Envirofund grant funding to study rocky reef ecology and stormwater awareness, and to work with community and school groups on field activities and interpretive resources.

The WCMEP/CEM partnership worked to expand a community coastal water quality monitoring effort between Burrum River and Tannum Sands in 2005-06, with Burnett Mary Regional Group(BMRG) funding.

That project has led to recent success for a further 12 months of coastal water sampling for 2007-08 under BMRG, involving community group participation with Tannum Boyne Coastcare (sampling near the Boyne River), WCMEP (sampling north and south of Burnett River) and Woodgate (north of Burrum River).

See details on CQU's involvement at: http://content.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/viewStory.do?story=4304

The project will contribute information for assessing coastal resources, and to the developing regional alliance for water quality at Wide Bay Water laboratories in Hervey Bay.

WCMEP also works closely with Australian Institute of Marine sciences on long-term monitoring efforts (since 2000), and this project will link to regional data sets from both AIMS and Environmental Protection Agency.

The project also aims to provide on-ground activities and networking between community and management agencies to raise awareness and participation in coastal and marine resource management.

Data and experience from the project will contribute to the growing CEM Marine Ecology Program portfolio, with key participation from CEM Gladstone staff, Tannum Boyne Coastcare and WCMEP anticipated.

Contact Liz Tanner on wcmep@cqu.edu.au or 0422 684 924 or 4150 5473 for further information.

Tide pool testing
Water monitoring