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The CMA was recognised recently for its part in a number of innovative coastal projects, taking out the 2009 NSW Coastal Award for Community Involvement at the Annual NSW Coastal Conference in Ballina.
The Marine Discovery Series is a free public lecture series that has been running for a number of years and has proved to be an extremely successful way of introducing people from all walks of life to our fascinating and diverse underwater world. Held at venues from Harrington to Terrigal, presentations have included spectacular underwater photography, the secrets and lives of Seahorses, Port Jackson sharks, sex-changing Sea Wrasse, and marine molluscs, and the science of the surf.
In the Great Lakes area, the CMA has successfully engaged volunteers from the Great Lakes Underwater Group (GLUG) to contribute to marine monitoring, research, education and clean-up activities. For decades community groups have been actively involved in rehabilitation projects on land, but the engagement of underwater volunteers is something completely new.
Another standout has been the NSW Marine Habitat Mapping Project, which has produced, for the first time, a complete map of the coastal waters of NSW. This project has helped to fill gaps in existing knowledge about the habitats that lie beneath our oceans and the condition they are in. The Hunter-Central Rivers CMA managed this project on behalf of the five coastal CMAs in NSW, and the main project partners Department of Environment and Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and the Department of Industry and Investment (DII).
The recent award recognises the CMA’s work in improving links between the community, scientists, government and business but also recognises the strong commitment of coastal councils and the many volunteers who have collaborated with the CMA to make these marine projects a success.
For more information on these and other coastal projects the CMA is involved in, contact Coastal and Marine Officer Brian Hughes on 6551 8994.
