Can you help us dive a little deeper?
With your support, we can extend our new marine research initiative to additional sites of biodiversity and cultural-significance across the Otways and south-west Victoria — many of them high visitation areas along the Great Ocean Road and Great Ocean Walk that urgently need monitoring to assess human impacts.
To most visitors travelling the breathtaking Great Ocean Road, the coastline and marine ecosystems appear wild, pristine, resilient. But beneath the surface lies a different story — one of ecosystems under pressure and the challenge of significant gaps in our understanding of their current condition.
That’s why the Conservation Ecology Centre, in collaboration with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) and Otway Ocean Care (OOC), has launched the Otways Marine Ecosystem Resilience Initiative (otherwise known as OMER). This initiative will build a much-needed baseline of ecological and cultural knowledge of western Victoria’s coastal ecosystems.
Are you able to support this vital work with a tax-deductible donation before June 30?
Over the past six months, our team has delivered a successful pilot study assessing the biodiversity and condition of intertidal and subtidal ecosystems around Cape Otway, Apollo Bay and Skenes Creek. This surveying will allow us to track changes over time and identify impacts of threatening processes — like trampling from visitation, pollution, overfishing, rising sea levels, ocean warming, and increased storm intensity.
Our pilot phase has already proven the viability of our approach. We’ve adapted a Parks Victoria methodology for use outside Marine Protected Areas, which is essential since so much of this coastline remains unprotected. We’ve also established a thriving volunteer network through Otway Ocean Care, and have begun integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge through our partnership with Eastern Maar and supported a new Coastcare Victoria grant.
So we’re now ready to scale up! Can you help us expand these crucial studies?
With your support, we can extend our marine research to new and culturally-significant sites across the Otways and SW Victoria — many of them high visitation areas along the Great Ocean Road and Great Ocean Walk that urgently need monitoring. This work will establish an ecological baseline that will allow us to detect stress points over the longer term and define evidence-based management plans to support species survival.
This exciting new CEC program aims to map and monitor the biodiversity existing in the intertidal and subtidal zones of our coastal waters, building a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem interactions and resilience.
Partnering with Eastern Maar ensures that we appropriately integrate cultural knowledge and Maar obligations to Sea Country with our conservation science. Their long-term view of Sea Country is vital for understanding the path ahead and strengthening our commitment through the challenges that lie before us.
When it comes to marine environments, prevention is everything. It’s far harder to rehabilitate a degraded habitat than to protect one that’s still intact.
Our new marine monitoring program will enable a thorough understanding of the region’s marine health and the resilience that exists — allowing us to detect declining species and identify management actions before threatening processes tip them over the edge.
Can you help us with a donation today? Donate here.
