Uni’s plan to transform Moolap wetlands is for the birds

DEAKIN scientists plan to rehabilitate 465 hectares of wetlands at Geelong’s former Moolap saltworks site, potentially transforming the site into a tourist-attracting bird-watching mecca, thanks to new funding from the state government.

Associate Professor Peter Macreadie, who heads up Deakin’s Blue Carbon Lab within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, said the $590,000 grant announced by Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio, offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to convert wasteland into wetlands.

“Ideas to redevelop the land have been flowing for more than a decade, when the former salt works were decommissioned in 2007.

“This project, which is worth $775,000 in total, is the result of several years of planning by the team at Deakin, as part of our commitment to turn science into outcomes.”

He said birds that visited the saltworks site and surrounding marine and freshwater wetlands included one of the world’s rarest – the orange-bellied parrot – along with the critically-endangered curlew sandpiper, which flies from Siberia.

“Our approach is to protect, conserve and restore the habitats that support the birds and other wildlife.”

He said researchers planned to build fences to protect vegetation and undertake plantings to repair threatened saltmarsh and wetland habitat – which provides essential habitat for the orange-bellied parrot, as well as 27 other ecologically significant bird species and various frog species.

“Aside from the important environmental contribution this project will make, the site has potential to become a tourist mecca, with plans for an education centre, boardwalks and research hub,” Associate Professor Macreadie said.

“We could have international visitors flocking to see the unique bird life at the wetlands, instead of driving straight through to the Great Ocean Road.

“The wetlands are the ugly duckling of our coast and they’re under-appreciated, but they are critical. They support fisheries, they’re important for coastal protection and they’re one of the most efficient natural carbon sinks on the planet.”

The Victorian Coastal Wetland Restoration project will be led by the Blue Carbon Lab, with funding partners including the state government through the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

Deakin is contributing more than $100,000, The Nature Conservatory $35,000 and the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority $50,000.