It’s breeding season for koalas, and that means our iconic furry friends are on the move across South East Queensland. 

As part of the Queensland Government’s Natural Resource Recovery Project (NRRP), project officers from Healthy Land & Water have spent the past several months crisscrossing South East Queensland, visiting more than 90 proposed project sites.

Shellfish reefs in Moreton Bay play an essential role in maintaining coastal ecosystem health and hold cultural significance in Australia. For thousands of years, Traditional Owners have sustainably harvested shellfish, leaving behind oyster middens that still shape the coastal landscape. European colonists later exploited these oyster reefs for lime production, leading to overharvesting and ecosystem collapse. Today, only 1-4% of Australia’s original shellfish reefs remain, victims of dredging, disease, sedimentation, and degraded water quality.

This new Queensland study published in Ecological Engineering is already transforming sand mine rehabilitation practices across South East Queensland. Led by Christopher Johnson (Griffith University PhD candidate and Senior Environmental Officer at Southern Pacific Sands) with some helpful guidance from Healthy Land & Water’s Portfolio Manager Mark Waud. The research showed that direct seeding can outperform traditional tubestock planting in both cost-effectiveness and ecological recovery when proper site conditions are met.

This innovative Queensland case study provides mining operators with a proven alternative that delivers superior environmental outcomes while significantly reducing rehabilitation costs, a win-win approach that could reshape restoration strategies across the region.

Read more about the encouraging results.