Protecting and Restoring Queensland's Coastal Wetlands

Abstract

Coastal wetlands provide vital ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling, disaster risk reduction, and habitat for biodiversity, including shorebirds, seabirds, turtles and fish. How we design and implement policy approaches for the conservation of coastal wetlands and these ecosystem services matters enormously. This article joins a growing trend of literature that seeks to not only identify the importance of coastal wetlands, but also to consider how best to devise policy measures for their protection and restoration. The article focuses on Queensland’s coastal wetlands and suggests that the state has a real opportunity to become a national leader in wetland restoration. For that to occur, new legislative measures may be required to address issues such as tenure, land access, planning and risk management.