CQU participated in a review this week of Port Curtis, as part of a national conference to assess the ecosystem health of the region’s estuaries and waterways. Dr Alistair Melzer, Director of the Centre for Environmental Management at CQU, said the conference (held Wednesday through Friday at the Gladstone Engineering Centre) explored port management issues with a focus on sustainable development.

“The Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management and Central Queensland University are bringing together scientists from around Australia who have worked in Port Curtis to share their knowledge and understanding of the region. Scientists and regional stakeholders will then work together to plan new research programs to improve existing knowledge and meet the needs of our coastal industries, community groups and government management agencies. Approximately 100 scientists and managers will review the state of the port and plan future knowledge needs,” Dr Melzer said.

“We have a number of research projects occurring in the region on coastal ecosystems, water quality, decision making and industry expansion issues. This knowledge is being applied to produce new predictive modelling tools that link science into coastal planning and policy, and improve public participation for coastal management.

“We’re also developing a range of new tools to assess and monitor the ecosystem health of the estuaries and port areas so that local industry groups can more accurately measure their long-term environmental impacts,” Dr Melzer said.

“Local stakeholders are working with us to ensure research teams apply their results effectively. More improvements can be made to public policy or industry practices when scientists work closely together with community and industry leaders,” Dr Melzer said.