Summary
Extending from the foreshores of Brisbane, Moreton Bay is internationally recognised as a Ramsar Wetland for its biodiversity and ecological significance.
Moreton Bay was listed as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention in 1993. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Ramsar is the Iranian City where the Convention was adopted in 1971.
Covering more than 120,000 ha, the Moreton Bay Ramsar site includes many different coastal habitats and environments from freshwater wetlands, beaches, mud flats, saltmarsh, mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds. It supports more than 50,000 wetland birds, including 28 species of migratory birds that travel from around the world to feed and roost.
The Bay’s diversity of wetlands provides habitat for more than 750 species of fish, and the marine environment supports a high diversity of marine mammals including eight species of dolphin, five species of whale, and the dugong. All six marine turtle species known to exist in Australia are also found in Moreton Bay.
The Bay’s Traditional Owners include the Gubbi Gubbi, Jagera, Turrbal, Yugambeh, and Quandamooka people. The area has many archaeological sites, some of which show evidence of Aboriginal people’s presence dating back 20,000 years. Traditional Owners today maintain social and cultural connections to the region.
Over the next five years, Healthy Land and Water will be working to reduce threats and restore habitat in and around the Moreton Bay Ramsar site, alongside project delivery partners including private land owners, land managers, local landcare groups, and Traditional Owners.
Some of the key activities will include coastal habitat restoration, shellfish reef creation, fire management, erosion management, marine debris removal, and feral animal control.
This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
Bird watching at Curlew Island
Pine River Estuary clean-up
Deploying shellfish reef at Pumicestone Passage
Coastal restoration at Minjerribah