OMER Expands Along the Great Ocean Road
The Otways Marine Ecosystem Resilience (OMER) Initiative continues to grow as surveys expand to new locations along the Great Ocean Road. OMER is a collaborative program led by the Conservation Ecology Centre (CEC) in partnership with Otway Ocean Care (OOC) and the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC). The initiative aims to address critical knowledge gaps around the biodiversity, condition and threats facing intertidal and subtidal marine ecosystems along the Otways and south-west Victorian coast. By establishing ecological baseline surveys across multiple sites, OMER is helping build a clearer understanding of ecosystem health and resilience along this coastline.
With support from a Coastcare grant, surveys have recently expanded east of Apollo Bay to include Sugarloaf, Kennett River and Wye River. These surveys once again documented remarkable biodiversity while collecting baseline data on the current condition and pressures affecting these habitats. A highlight of the program continues to be the enthusiasm and commitment of local volunteers who contribute to this growing citizen science effort.
The surveys also highlighted how distinct neighbouring sites can be. Sugarloaf proved to be a hotspot for Spengler’s Triton molluscs (a), Wye River revealed the distinctive Rugose Slit Limpet (b), and Kennett River hosted Shell Grit sea cucumbers and Keyhole limpets (c). This site-level uniqueness reinforces the importance of monitoring multiple locations to better understand patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem resilience along the Great Ocean Road.
OMER is now also expanding further west, including sites around Wreck Beach, Peterborough and Warrnambool. Intertidal, and where conditions allow, subtidal surveys are planned in Peterborough and Warrnambool on 24–25 March, with additional surveys possible in April.
The team will also be participating in a series of workshops hosted by EMAC in 2026 to support an Indigenous Ecological Knowledge review documenting the past, present and future ecological values of Eastern Maar Sea Country. This work will contribute to the development of Sea Country plans and strengthen the integration of Traditional Owner knowledge with ongoing ecological monitoring and management of Sea Country along the Otways and southwest Vic coast.
Looking ahead, we hope to begin local stewardship planning for the Otways coast soon, building on OMER findings and ensuring grassroots values and community perspectives are incorporated into long-term management and stewardship – watch this space!
If you are interested in joining upcoming intertidal survey (no experience needed, just curiosity and enthusiasm for our remarkable coastline) or are an avid snorkeller and want to help with subtidal snorkelling surveys, please contact Nicole Tielemans at OOC (nicole.landcare@soln.org) to join the volunteer base for the program. For more information about the OMER initiative, please contact Dr. Kay Weltz at the CEC (Kay@conservationecologycentre.org).
