BUILDING RESILIENCE AND UNDERTAKING RESTORATION – … · Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 4,...

BUILDINGRESILIENCEANDUNDERTAKINGRESTORATION–COCKBURNSOUNDDRTHOMASROSEPRINCIPAL,ECOSCOPE-EPCWESTERNHARBOURSALLIANCE

PROPOSALTOESTABLISHAMARINECENTRERESPONSIBLEFORENHANCINGTHEENVIRONMENTOFTHECOCKBURNSOUND

FINALApril2019DraftscirculatedsinceJune2018

PROPOSALTOESTABLISHAMARINECENTRERESPONSIBLEFORENHANCINGTHEENVIRONMENTOFCOCKBURNSOUND

This paper is about enhancing theenvironmentof Cockburn Sound. It setsoutapathwaytosustainabilitythroughrestoringresilience intheSound inthe faceofincreasedchallengesandachangingclimate.

ByDrThomasRose,PhD(Principal,Ecoscope-epc,[email protected])

SupportedbytheWesternHarboursAllianceInc.

“Ongoing protection of Cockburn Sound is an important priority for the Western AustralianGovernmenttoensurethatitcontinuestosupportthemultiplevaluesforwhichit isrenowned.Thepurposeof thisupdatedPolicy is toensure that the futureof theSound is secure.” –StateEnvironmental(CockburnSound)Policy2015

1. PURPOSE Theaimofthisproposalistoprovideacasefortheneedandmeanstostrengthenthenaturalenvironmentof Cockburn Sound, given its history of development and loss of major components of its naturalenvironment, particularly its seagrass. It recognises that over the last 65 years Cockburn Sound has lostsignificantenvironmentalresilienceandhasbeenstrugglingtocopewithadverseenvironmentalchangesand development impacts. This has resulted in challenges to maintaining the marine environment, itsnaturalhealthandregenerationprocesses,anditscapacitytosupportarangeofhumanuses.Futurelarge-scaledevelopmentsintheSoundareproposedandratherthanaddtotheburdenofsustainability,thereisanopportunitytobringnewandcontinuingfundingfortheSound’srestorationandfuturehealth.

Onlysubstantialandwell-targetedinvestmentinCockburnSound’senvironmentwillminimisecommunityconcern and outrage over further environmental impacts that future developments will have on thispopularandeconomicallyimportantmarineembaymentofmetropolitanPerth.

It is argued thata restoration centre shouldbeestablished tomanagea large-scale restoration initiativewith supporting partners and consistent scaled funding. The restoration strategies, lessons learned andtechniquesdevelopedwiththisinitiativecouldthenbeappliedtootherimpactedWAmarineandcoastalenvironments.ThiswouldleadthewayforamodeltohelprepairandrejuvenateothersystemsinWAandAustralia.

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BuildingResilienceIntoCockburnSound–DrTomRose

2. BACKGROUND Betweenthe1960sand1980sCockburnSoundlost78%ofitstemperateseagrasses,approximately4000haoriginally,reducedtoapproximately900hatoday.Thiswasduetoexcessivenutrientenrichment(primarilynitrogen) from industrial discharges and, to a certain extent, reduced water circulation created by thecompletioninthemid-1970softhecausewaylinkingGardenIslandtothemainlandatPointPeron.1

Industryhasdrasticallyreducednitrogencontainingnutrientinputsfromannuallevelsofseveralthousandtonnes towell below250 tonnes today andhas substantially reducedother contaminants.2Whilewaterqualityhas significantly improved from itsnadir in the late1970s,unfortunately seagrassextenthasnotrecoveredinanyequalmeasure:atseveralmonitoringsitesfromtheannualCockburnSoundManagementCouncil monitoring program seagrass has declined and there has been only light regrowth in a smallnumber of shallow areas (<10mdeep), although small areas of regrowth seems to be occurring on theeasternshelf.

Inrecenttimes,fishkillincidenceshaveoccurred(e.g.snapperandsquid)andoccasionalbloomsofmicro-algaeorphytoplanktonhavealsooccurredduringsomesummerandautumnseasons.OnesuchbloominNovember/December2015isbelievedtohavecontributedtoalargesnapperfishkillincident.3Declinesinwater-dissolved oxygen have also been recorded in the various deep-water regions of the Sound.Seagrassesvitaltothehealthofthemarineenvironmentremainunderextremethreat.TherecentDrivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-ResponsesAssessmentReportin2017andreleasedin20184describedthestateofthemarine environment and its various habitats and estimated how they had changed since Europeansettlement andmore recent eutrophication during the 1960s and 70s. In almost all respects thereweregreater losses in habitat extent, faunal composition and function than gains. It concluded that there islimitedunderstandingoftheecologicalresilienceoftheSound’smarineenvironmentfollowingthelossofseagrass and the wholesale transfer of primary productivity to the water column. However, this reportwhileextremely timelyand informative,basedmuchof its informationonmodelling,biologicaldataandenvironmental surveys undertaken mainly before 2010, most were more than 10 years ago. Whileinsightful,morecontemporaryspatialandtemporal information isnecessarytoconfidentlyreportonthestatusofthevariouscomponentsofCockburnSound’smarineenvironment.

1 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. State of Cockburn Sound. Reports 2009-2012. Cockburn Sound Management

Council,DepartmentofEnvironmentConservation.

2016.Keesing,J.K.,Greenwood,J.,Donn,M.J.andMcFarlane,D.J.SpatialandtemporalanalysisofwaterqualitymonitoringdatacollectedfromCockburnSoundandWarnbroSoundbetween1982/83and2013/14.ReporttotheCockburnSoundManagementCouncilandtheWesternAustralianDepartmentofWater.CSIRO,Australia.

2 2013.Cockburn Sound Contaminant Review Final Report. Report byGHD for the Cockburn SoundManagementCouncilandDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation–EnvironmentalRegulationDivision.

2016.Greenwood,J.,Keesing,J.K.,Donn,M.J.andMcFarlane,D.J.NitrogenbudgetforCockburnSound,WesternAustralia.ReporttotheCockburnSoundManagementCouncilandtheWesternAustralianDepartmentofWater.CSIRO,Australia

3 2016.SummaryofCockburnSoundMonitoringandResearchPrograms2016.CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentRegulation.

2016.2015-2016CockburnSoundReportCard.CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentConservation.

42018.CockburnSoundDrivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-ResponsesAssessment2017.FinalReport.PreparedbyBMTWesternAustraliaPtyLtd,July2018,ReportNo.1362_001/Rev1.PreparedforDepartmentofWaterandEnvironmentalRegulation,theKwinanaIndustriesCouncil,theCityofRockinghamandtheCityofKwinanaonbehalfoftheCockburnSoundManagementCouncil.

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Despite this history, amateur fishing, boating and other recreational pursuits, commercial shipping andindustrialactivitieshaveincreasedsubstantially,makingCockburnSoundthemostintensivelyusedmarineembaymentinWesternAustralia:

- ItisWesternAustralia’ssecondlargestspawninggroundforpinksnapper,afterSharkBay;- Itcontinuesasapopulartouristdestinationwithitslongbeachesandsafeswimming,particularlyin

thesouthernSound;- TheadjoiningKwinanaIndustrialAreaandAustralianMarineComplexinHendersonhavegrownto

becomeoneofAustralia’slargestindustrialandboatbuilding-serviceareas;5- TheGardenIslandStirlingNavalBaseisWesternAustralia’slargestnavalfacilityandisplanningon

expandingitsoperations;- Itisestimatedthatcommercialshippinghasincreasedtonear1000largevesselmovementsayear

andrecreationalboatinghasincreasedtowellover100,000boatmovementsayear;- Recreationalfishingpressureonsnapper,crabsandotherfishanddecapodspeciesincludingsquid

isintense,andwhileseasonal,isgenerallyconsistentthroughoutmuchoftheyear;- Dolphin,andtoalesserextentlittlepenguin,seabirdandseamammalbasedeco-tourismisgrowing

whereup to180dolphinsandapproximately300-400 littlepenguins reside inCockburnSoundatGarden Island.Manypenguins fromPenguin Island in the adjacent Shoalwater Bay also feed andforageinthesouthernSound;6

- Morerecently,thesurroundingurbanpopulationinthecatchmentofCockburnSoundhasgrowntoover300,000peopleandisstillgrowing,furtherincreasingthedemandsofpublicaccessanduse.

CockburnSoundisalarge,complexandoftencompetingmultiple-useenvironmentwitharangeofinterestgroupsconcernedforitsenvironmentandnaturalresources.Furthermore,climatechangeisamega-trendfactorthatisexertinginfluenceontheCockburnSoundmarineenvironment,itstemperateseagrassesandbiota,throughwarmerseatemperatures,increasedstorminessandcoastalerosion.7

The risks for the sustainable health of the Sound created by these multiple uses and pressures mustbecomecentraltoallaspectsofplanningforitsfuture.

3. A CASE FOR INVESTING IN COCKBURN SOUND’S ENVIRONMENT Any new additional developments, such as a large industrial port, increased industrial and militarydevelopment,marinas, increasedboating,mooringsandfishingwill furtherstressandthreatenCockburn

5 2013.WesternTradeCoast–IntegratedAssessment:Environmental,SocialandEconomicImpact.Reportprepared

bySinclairKnightMerczandtheResourceEconomicsUnitcommissionedbytheWesternTradeCoast IndustriesCommittee.Availableonwww.kic.org.au/library/

6 2007. Shoalwater IslandsMarine ParkManagement Plan 2007–2017.Management PlanNo 58. Department ofEnvironmentandConservationandMarineParksandReservesAuthority.

BelindaCannell–perscomm.Penguinnumbers

2017.Chabanne,D.,Finn,H.andBejder,L.IdentifyingtheRelevantandLocalPopulationforEnvironmentalImpactAssessmentsofMobileMarineFauna.FrontiersinMarineScience,Vol4,Article148,pp1-17.

2007.StateofCockburnSoundReport.CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentConservation.

7 2013.CoastalVulnerabilityStudy–Erosionand InundationHazardAssessmentreport.Areportpreparedfor the

Cockburn Sound Coastal Alliance by Coastal Zone Management, Damara, University of Western Australia andOceanica.

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Sound’senvironmentalhealth.TheywillalsojeopardisethecurrentbalanceofintensivemultipleusesandfreeprovisionbyCockburnSound’snaturalenvironmentofarangeofbenefits,partiallythoselistedearlier.

ItisimportantthoughtoemphasisethatsomethreatsmustbebalancedwiththeeconomicbenefitstheycanbringtotheregionandtotheWesternAustralianeconomy.Forexample,economicandemploymentbenefitscanbecreatedormaintainedbyhavingalargeindustrialportsupportinganintegratedindustrialsupply chain. Future industries with potential location in the Kwinana Industrial Area must also beconsidered,e.g.therecentgrowthinlithiumprocessmanufacturing.

Increased boating, fishing, commercial shipping and a new large industrial port facility will requireinnovative environmental enhancements and management. These developments, particularly any largeindustrialouterportfacility,willrequireadequateandproportionalresourcingtocounterbalanceimpacts.Failure to provide this resourcing will be viewed as not only a failure of government to recognise theimportance of the environment and sustainability in Cockburn Sound, but also a failure to provideinnovative enhancements and management with adequate funding, and could penalise government,industry and the economy for years to come. A broken Cockburn Sound will be a poor economic,recreationalandenvironmentalresource.

Any future large-scale development will encounter a vocal and potentially divisive and acrimoniousoppositionunlesssignificantenvironmentalissues,recreationalaccessandfishingpressuresareaddressedandwellmanaged.Thus, ifCockburnSoundcanbemademoreresilientandproductiveby returning thesystemsignificantlyclosertoitsoriginalhealthystatewithmoreecologicallinkagesandprocesses,itwouldbebetter able towithstanddevelopment proposals such as a larger industrial port. Itwould also lessenother threateningmarina developments, recreational use and the impacts caused by thewide range ofcurrentmultiple-usedemandsonitsenvironment.Importantly,CockburnSoundwouldbeinabetterstateto withstand long-term climate change impacts such as sustained erosive storms, rising sea levels andwarmingoceantemperatures.

For this resilience to occur, Cockburn Sound will need realistic and measurable“improvement” and restoration, i.e. improved environmental health, such that positiveenvironmental gains are produced over and above just replacement or minimisation ofenvironmental impacts with existing and proposed harbour and marina developmentproposals.

New developments integrated into the State’s economy offer an opportunity to create a financiallysustainablebasistoinitiateandmaintainarestorationprogramtoimproveandenhanceCockburnSound’senvironment.

Thinking strategically, other developments approached in the samemanner throughout the State couldalsoutilisethisrestorationprogram,onceithasshownitscapabilityinrestorationandcosteffectiveness.This could be applied and extended into those regional environments that also need restoration andenhancementbecauseofhumandevelopmentimpactsorextremeenvironmentalperturbation(e.g.Peel-Harvey estuarine system, SharkBay seagrasses, andpossiblyAlbanyHarbours, Leschenault Inlet and theSwan-Canningestuarinesystem,PortHedlandportandchannelareas).

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3.1. CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Whilemanymaydisagree,andsomerecogniseimperfections,itcanbearguedthatthecurrentprocessofassessing environmental impacts of development proposals under Western Australian environmentallegislation is balanced and results in a robust assessment process with reasonable environmentalmanagement of construction and operational impacts. Under Part IV of the Western AustralianEnvironmentalProtectionAct(1986)(EPAct1986),theenvironmentalimpactassessmentprocessisappliedtoproposalsoractsthataredeemedtohaveasignificant impactontheenvironment.Thosethatcanbesatisfactorily managed often result in a Ministerial approval and generate a Ministerial Statement withenvironmentalconditionsand/orhaveproponentenvironmentalcommitments.ItcanalsobearguedthatenvironmentalregulationsappliedtopremisesthatqualifyundertheEnvironmentalRegulations(1987)ofthe EP Act 1986 and later Acts, regulations and amendments, provide a licensed basis to manageenvironmental impacts of “discharges or release” to the environment. In general, this process andregulatory control has worked in many situations. While industry may argue that this “green tape”assessment and regulatory process is onerous and business unfriendly, conservationists and othersegmentsoftheWesternAustralianpublicfeelthattoomanyproposalshavebeenapprovedwithweakorinappropriateconditionsorhaveweakregulatorycontrols.

Thereisastrongandsubstantiatedviewthatenvironmentalimpactmanagementaftertheenvironmentalassessmentprocesshasoccurred,hasresultedinpoorenvironmentaloutcomesforthealreadyimpactedmarineembaymentofCockburnSoundandotherareasofWA.ImpactsinCockburnSoundsincethe1980shave generally beenminimised, but the original impacts during the 50s, 60s and 70s have still removedcomponentsorsubstantiallycompromisedthemarineenvironment,e.g.lossofseagrass,deepbenthosandalteredfisheries.

3.2. ENVIRONMENTAL OFFSETS AND MITIGATION EnvironmentaloffsetshavebeenpoorlyappliedinWAandasaresulthavehadpoorresultsforCockburnSound.Forexample,approvalofthePerthSeawaterDesalinationPlantrequiredtheWaterCorporationtoestablish a large tree plantation to help offset the carbon footprint of this critically important waterinfrastructurefacility.ThisoffsetwasestablishedinregionalWAandnotinornearCockburnSoundwhereit coulddirectly help the Sound’s environment.While the currentCockburn SoundManagementCouncilhad an environmental offsets policy Like-for-like, local and improve - it has not been applied orcommunicatedwidelyandwasintendedtoonlyberelevantwhenimpactshaveoccurredtothesystemorcannotbeavoided(approvedbytheCSMCin2010).TheWAStatehasanoffsetspolicy finalised in2011andimplementationguidelines(2014)howevertheirstatusappliedtomarineenvironmentsisunknown.

Regardlessof theviewsheldonenvironmentalmanagementor impactassessment,CockburnSoundhasexperienced a consistent history of environmental loss and not restoration. Environmentalmanagementandimpactassessmenthavenotenhanceditsenvironment.

3.3. CURRENT INSTITUTIONS AND CAPABILITY There is substantial expertise inWestern Australia currently investigating aspects ofmarine and coastalrestoration, particularly in seagrass and fisheries (i.e. through aquaculture and fish culture), andinvestigatingthecurrentstateofmanymarinehabitats.Thisexpertise is located inmostWAuniversitiesand regional CSIRO and AIMS. Furthermore, WA has the Marine Science Institute (WAMSI), which has

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completed its3rdgenerationofStudyNodesandisstarting itsfourth,withmostrecentnodesaddressingaspectsoftheimpactsofdredgingandfurtherrefinementofcoastalhabitatmapping.

Many of WA’s universities have programs or centres dedicated to the study of marine and coastalecosystems,butonecanargue thatourability to restore terrestrialvegetation,particularlyaroundminesitesorfarmlands,ismoreadvancedthanthatformostaspectsofmarineandcoastalecosystems.Theonlyexceptionsmaybe for temperateseagrasses, certain fishspeciesand invertebratesandpossiblyartificialfishattractionhabitatdevicesorstructures.Seagrassrestorationhasyettobepractisedona largescale;most experimental areas are between 10 m2 and two to three hectares (e.g. Seagrass Research andRehabilitationProgram2003-09,andpossiblyPrincessRoyalHarbourinformaleffortsupto3.1ha).Almostall experimental plots were rarely monitored consistently for long periods of time, something which isrequiredtoprovidecriticallongitudinalinformation.

Ifmarinerestorationeffortswereadequatelyandsustainablyresourced,integratedandstructuredtofocusonrestoringcriticalcomponentsofcoastalmarineecosystemsandmethods,andtechniqueswereappliedover longer temporal and larger spatial scales, thenmeaningful restoration ofmany of our coastal andmarine ecosystems could occur. It could also be argued that organisations with expertise to undertakerestoration employ a kind of destructive and overly competitive approach to applying for funding fromexisting inadequate and diminishing national and State funding sources. If adequate resources wereavailable,therecouldbeamoreintegratedfocusonworkingforthecommongood–effectivelong-termrestorationofimportantecosystems.

4. BUSINESS CASE FOR A COCKBURN SOUND MARINE CENTRE The Sound and its catchment are estimated to cover over 350 km2 (Cockburn Sound 190 km2) with agrowingpopulationofover300,000people.ItisestimatedthatactivitiesandworkontheWesternTradeCoastthatincludetheKwinanaIndustrialArea,theAustralianMarineComplexinHenderson,RockinghamIndustrialAreaandtheStirlingNavalBaseonGardenIslandgenerate$10billionannuallytotheAustralianeconomy and employ well over 18,000 (up to 30,000) people in direct and indirect jobs.8 Aside fromindustrial,commercialanddefencework,recreation(particularlyfishingandboating),tourism,aquacultureandcoastalrealestateactivityalsogeneratesubstantialincomefortheeconomy.

ThefutureofthisWesternTradeCoasteconomyshouldnotbeunderminedbyafailingenvironmentandthelossofsocialcapitaltosupportfutureprospectsforthearea.InvestmentintheresilienceofCockburnSoundatthispointwilldemonstratethevaluesofsustainablecollaborativeefforts.

LargescaleportandindustrialdevelopmentontheWesternTradeCoastoffersanopportunitytoestablisharestorationprogramofsignificantscaletoprovideconsistentfundingforcriticalresearchandadequatelyscaledfieldrestorationinCockburnSound.

Someshort-termrestorationeffortshavebeenundertakeninthepastbyindustryandgovernment,suchastheSeagrassResearchandRehabilitationProgram(SRRP)byCockburnCementandDepartmentofIndustryand Resources that became Department of State Development. This was conducted between 2003 and2009 and resulted in 2.1 to 3.1 ha of seagrass meadows reputedly being created or restored in bothCockburnSound (SouthernFlats)andAlbanyHarbours.Pinksnapperhasalsobeencultured, farmedandreleased into Cockburn Sound for several years by Fremantle-Challenger TAFE with community andRecFishWestsupport,but thisefforthasnotbeensupportedbycomplementary research to indicate if itenhanced the existing snapper stocks andwhether food resourceswere adequate to support increased82018TradeFlowandtheDevelopmentofWestport.ReportpreparedbyInfraNomicscommissionedbytheKwinanaIndustriesCouncil.Availableonhttps://www.westernharboursalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InfraNomics-Report-1-FINAL.pdf

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youngand feedingsnapper.However, this fishstockingstoppedseveralyearsgo.To improvechancesofsuccess, efforts for seagrass and fish restoration will need to be reviewed and lessons applied to newrestorationefforts.

4.1. FINANCIAL RESOURCES Financesforthisinitiativecouldcomefromfutureindustrial,defence,recreationalandpossiblyresidentialdevelopments inandaroundCockburnSound. Initial start-upState funding couldbeused tobeginworkwith future large-scale funding coming from thesedevelopments. In thismanner, a consistent and largeenough restoration fund would be established. There are Commonwealth funding opportunities, but atpresenttheseareextremelydifficulttoaccessandinitiallyunlikelytobeenoughfortheestablishmentofamarine centre. Sustained restoration in the Sound can occur once substantial partners and secure long-termfundinglinkagesareobtained.

ThereareseveralwaystodescribethescaleoffundingneededtoeffectivelyrestoremajorcomponentsofCockburnSound’senvironment. Forexample,an initial fundingofapproximately$20-30millionover thefirstfiveyearswouldstartrestorationinvestmentandactivityintheSound;thenasIndustryexpanded,andin thiscasewitha large-scaleport, industrialprocessingandmanufacturingtrains (e.g. lithiumandothermetals, specialised plastics or products), a levy of 50C to a dollar or two could be applied to tonnages,volumesorunitsthatmoveintoandoutofthearea.Forexample,a levyof$1-2dollarsoncontainersortonnes, depending on total annual turnover would generate substantial finances to undertake theassessment, research and fieldwork required for a restoration program. In turn this fund and researcheffortwouldattractextra federaland industry fundingtosynergiseeffortandaddtotheknowledgeandsuccess of the program. This method of funding would need to be carefully calibrated to not removeeconomic incentive or build barriers to development but must also be adequate to fund a meaningfulappropriatelyscaledrestorationprogram.

To initiate such a program, budgetary priorities would need to elevate the program to a State priority.Futuredividends to the State couldbe large if this program is givena chance to apply restorationat anappropriate scale, gain knowledge and have technical capacity for future restoration in other impactedsystems. This would allow a unique, progressive and sustainable solution to the impact ofmany futurelarge-scaledevelopmentsinWAandAustralia.

Carewouldneedtobeexercisedifthisinvolvesdrawingonfundsgeneratedbyregulatorylicensesimposedon large industrial enterprises. Many of these are maintained by industry as “insurance” in case ofunexpected failures or emergency situations. Several Cockburn Sound industries now operatewith littlecurrentimpactonthereceivingenvironmentbasedonthelegaldefinitionforsomeoftherequirementstohaveregulatedandlicensedpremisesundertheEPAct’sRegulations(1987).Insumthough,thissourceoffundingwouldbeinadequateandpossiblyfacestrongindustryresistance.

4.2. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Western Australia is fortunate that there are several government agencies and research institutionscapableofcontributingsubstantialmanagementandexpertisesupport.However,allgovernmentagencieslackfinancialcapacityandexpertisenecessaryforanintegratedrestorationprogram,and/ordonothavelegislative responsibilities for large-scale integrated environmental restoration. Many universities haveexcellent expertise for aspects or elements of a restoration program but are confined by financialconstraintsandcompetitivegrantmind-sets.

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Amanagement structurewould need to bring together all the knowledge assets currently available anddirecttheworktowardsthesustainableoutcomesrequired.IterativestagescouldinvolvetheutilisationoftheWAMarineScienceInstitute(WAMSI)tohelpsetuparestorationcentre.

Substantial initial work is required to review and assess current data, integrate understanding andconclusions and to generate recommendations focussing on the restoration program. Theserecommendationswouldneedtoprovideapriorityrankingofefforttoenableworktobegininashort-timeframewhilealsohelpingtostructureanddirectmediumandlong-termeffortsintofieldworkandrelevantappliedresearch.This reviewwouldneedtoencompassthefindingsandfill incriticalgaps inknowledgefrom recent CSIRO andUWA reviews conducted for the Cockburn SoundManagement Council between2015and2018.Forexample,environmentalmonitoringhasbeenrarelyundertakenbetweenautumnandspring and thus there is a lack of knowledge on how the Cockburn Sound environment changes duringthesethreeseasons.Analysingandinterpretingthisgapininformationmayhelptobetterunderstandhowrestorationeffortswillfareduringthesemorevariable,wet,energeticandcoolerseasons.

It is proposed thatWAMSI be utilised to create a node to study Cockburn Sound, fill in critical gaps inenvironmentalinformationandrecommendprioritisedstrategiesanddirectionstodirectanewrestorationinstituteorcentre.Itcouldalsorecommendastructurefortheoperationofarestorationinstitute.Whilethe WAMSI node is working, a new restoration institute would be created with interim priorities, todeterminetimingforfieldrestorationtobegin.This isbasedontheopinionthatseagrassrestorationwillbeamajorpriorityandactivity.Wearefortunatetohaveadvancedlocalknowledgewithcurrentresearchonthecriticalsuiteofseagrassspeciesthatcreateanimportant“keystone”habitatintheSound.

Seagrass restoration will take time, but it is essential to re-establish areas of seagrassmeadows because they contribute to critical ecosystem processes that will affect otherrestorationeffortsaswellasthewholeecologyoftheSound.

4.3. ACCOUNTABILITY WhileWAMSImaybecurrently reviewing its future, ithasahistoryofundertakingmarine researchandcommunicating improved knowledge aboutWAmarineprocesses, habitatmapping, regional ecosystemsandhuman impacts. Itwouldbepossible that, following its initialwork reviewing gaps in knowledgeonCockburnSound,WAMSIcouldprovidekeyrecommendationsthatwouldeventuallystructureanddirectarecipient restoration institute. The concept of a restoration institute or centre is really one of amanagement facility to coordinateand fundvariousuniversities andCommonwealth institutions suchasCSIROandAIMS, if theyhad the restoration capacity to deliver effective progress to restoringCockburnSound. It is envisioned that to streamline research, minimise competition and repetition of effort, theinstitutewould coordinate and fund restoration groups to deliver key restoration programs under strictdeliverables and timelines. If unable to meet deliverables, they would be required to outline focussedresearchrequirementstoaddressdeficienciesincapacitythatneedtobeovercome.

This institutewouldstrivetobeefficientandstrategicaboutdeliverablesandresultssothatfundingwasnot wasted and timely results were achieved. It is appreciated that universities generally have space,laboratories and students, andprofessorial technical expertise, but it is argued that they lack funding toundertake the scale and longevity of study and fieldwork that only long-term funding can address. Theinstitutewouldoperatewithverystricttermsofreferencewhichcouldbereviewedonaregularbasis.

Toassistindirectinginvestment,aformulaprovidedinanarticleinDecisionPoint(No29,pp7-10)couldbeusedasabasisforallocatingthefundingforidentifiedactivities:

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E=WxBxSC

WhereE=benefits/dollarW=valuesB=benefitsS=successC=costsAllvaluesarebetween.1and1

5. LIKELY DIRECTIONS OF INITIAL INVESTMENT IN RESTORATION Reviewandinitialenvironmentalmonitoring–InordertosystematicallyaddressecosystemresilienceinCockburnSound,letaloneimproveit,thesystemmustbedescribedinitscurrentstate.Thiswouldneedtobemorethanjustmonitoringwaterqualityfor3-4monthsoftheyearasisdonenow,onceaweek,duringthedayinsummerandthefirsttwoweeksofautumn,withlimitedsedimentandphytoplankton-bacteriasampling during this period. Current monitoring is done to address the State Environmental Policy forCockburnSoundestablishedbyWAgovernment in2005(13-14yearsago)andmorerecentlyupdated in2015. It is a compliance program to inform and track policy rather than a descriptive and quantitativecharacterisation of the ecosystemwhichwould be necessary for a restoration program. ThemonitoringnecessarytobaselineandcharacterisewaterqualityandotherenvironmentalparametersincludinganimalandplantbiotawouldneedtocoverCockburnSound’sfullrangeofenvironmentalconditions,biophysicalandgeochemicalprocesses,ecology,habitats,standingcropsof faunaandthe inputsandoutputsoveraminimumof threeyears includingday-nightdifferences if relevantand inall seasonsof thoseyears.Thiswouldprovideabaselinecharacterisingthesystemandindicatewhere/whenrestorationwouldmostlikelysucceed andwhere therewere critical gaps in knowledge that would help restoration. Once this and areviewofallmonitoringandassessmentdatawasmade,afive-yearprogramcouldleadinitialrestorationeffortsandcouldbereviewedcontinuouslyeverythreetofiveyearsoronanas-needsbasis.

5.1. INITIAL EFFORT Becauseofthecriticalbaselineimportanceofseagrasstothiswarmtemperatewatermarineembayment,initialrestorationworkwouldlikelybedirectedtoseagrassrestoration.Itisprobablethiswouldbethroughcontinuousorseasonalwide-scaleseedingor transplants into favourableareasdeemedmost likely tobesuccessfully re-established.Moreefficientandpossiblymodifiedmethodscouldbeapplied later tomoreenergeticareasanddeeperregions(>8-10mdepths)ofCockburnSound.Simultaneously,workcouldalsobegin on re-seeding and establishing invertebrate populations necessary for fish and other consumerpopulationswhiletechniqueswererefinedtocultureawiderrangeoffishandinvertebratespeciesiftheywerefoundtobeimportanttore-establishingenvironmentalhealthintheSound.

Theprevious initial effortsmentioned are notional because it is anticipated that theWAMSI reviewanddirectives, recommendations and strategies would inform and direct initial and then later restorationefforts.CoststhathavebeenoutlinedinAppendixOnearebasedonexperienceandestimateswouldneedtoberefinedforafive-yearprogramuntilsustainedfundingfromindustrialportusewasestablishedandunderway.

6. CONCLUSION CockburnSoundhaslostsubstantialcomponentsofitsnaturalenvironmentwithover78%ofitsseagrassand much of its benthic community gone, mainly in its deeper areas. This has been due to nutrientenrichment, reduced water circulation from the Garden Island causeway and substantial multiple use

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pressures created by industrial, military, recreational and human population pressures surrounding theSoundinsouthernmetropolitanPerth.

TheCockburnSoundisanenvironmentmuch-lovedbythecommunitywhoutilisetheareaforrecreationespeciallyfishingandtourism,aswellasanimportanteconomicareaforindustryanddefence.ThecommunitywillexpectthateverythingpossiblewillbedonetoprotecttheviabilityoftheSoundintothefuture.

CurrentandfuturedevelopmentsforCockburnSound,particularlylarge-scaleindustrialdevelopmentssuchas a commercial port provide an excellent opportunity to restore and enhance Cockburn Sound’senvironmental resilience. The funding for such an initiative could be embedded into business cases forthese developments. A simple but adequate levy or tax on quantums ofmaterial or product which areexportedfromtheSoundcouldbeusedtoprovidebasefundingandbecomeanelementofdoingbusinessinCockburnSoundand its surroundingenvirons. Initial start-up fundscombinedwithsustained leviesonindustrialandexportactivitywouldprovidealong-termsourceoffunding.ThiswouldenablearestorationinitiativetobeundertakenonalargeenoughscaleanddurationtosubstantiallyimproveCockburnSound’smarineenvironment.

It is proposed that a strategy to undertake restoration on a large scale in Cockburn Soundwould be toestablishaninstitutetocoordinatevariousinitiativesforseagrass,nektonandfish,otherinvertebratesandhabitat restoration.The Institute couldbepossiblymanagedbyadirectorateand/or steering committeestructure. This structure would follow through on a focussed assessment and set of recommendationsmade possible by a WAMSI science node that would assess data, advise and help structure and leadrestorationefforts.

An investment costof approximately$25millionover five yearswouldbeneeded tobegina large-scalerestorationprograminCockburnSound.Failuretore-investinCockburnSound’senvironmentwillmeetavociferousandoutspokencommunitybacklash thatwillmake futuredevelopmentsextremelydifficult intheCockburnSoundregion,letalonealargeindustrialport,aswellasquestionthesustainabilityforthesedevelopmentsandfutureregionaleconomicactivity.

The additional benefit of this proposal is that it could be repeated in other related programs, not onlywould it provide long-term environmental benefits but would also demonstrate that adherence tosustainability principles provides a social licence for future economic pursuits in the State of WesternAustralia.

Acknowledgements

Mrs JuneHutchinsonkindlyhelpededit this reportaftermembersof theWesternHarboursAlliance,MrGreg Jenkins, Department of Primary Industry and Resources and researchers from the University ofWesternAustralia,MurdochandEdithCowanuniversitiesreviewedandmadecomments.

7. REFERENCES 1. 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. State of Cockburn Sound. Reports 2009-2012. Cockburn Sound

ManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentConservation.

2. 2016.Keesing,J.K.,Greenwood,J.,Donn,M.J.andMcFarlane,D.J.Spatialandtemporalanalysisofwater quality monitoring data collected from Cockburn Sound and Warnbro Sound between

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1982/83 and 2013/14. Report to the Cockburn Sound Management Council and the WesternAustralianDepartmentofWater.CSIRO,Australia.

3. 2013.CockburnSoundContaminantReviewFinalReport.ReportbyGHD for theCockburnSoundManagement Council and Department of Environment and Conservation – EnvironmentalRegulationDivision.

4. 2016.Greenwood, J., Keesing, J.K.,Donn,M.J. andMcFarlane,D.J.Nitrogenbudget forCockburnSound,WesternAustralia. Report to the Cockburn SoundManagement Council and theWesternAustralianDepartmentofWater.CSIRO,Australia.

5. 2016. Summary of Cockburn Sound Monitoring and Research Programs 2016. Produced andpublishedbyCockburnSoundManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentRegulation.

6. 2016.2015-2016CockburnSoundReportCard.CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,DepartmentofEnvironmentConservation.

7. 2018.Cockburn Sound Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses Assessment 2017. Final Report.PreparedbyBMTWesternAustralia Pty Ltd, July 2018,ReportNo. 1362_001/Rev1. Prepared forDepartment ofWater and Environmental Regulation, the Kwinana Industries Council, the City ofRockinghamandtheCityofKwinanaonbehalfoftheCockburnSoundManagementCouncil.

8. 2013.WesternTradeCoast– IntegratedAssessment:Environmental,SocialandEconomic Impact.ReportpreparedbySinclairKnightMerczandtheResourceEconomicsUnitcommissionedbytheWesternTradeCoastIndustriesCommittee.Availableonwww.kic.org.au/library/

9. 2007. Shoalwater IslandsMarine ParkManagement Plan 2007–2017.Management Plan No 58.DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservationandMarineParksandReservesAuthority.

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14. 2017ComplianceAssessmentReportPerthSeawaterDesalinationPlantMinisterialStatements655& 832. Water Corporation. Available at https://www.watercorporation.com.au/-/media/files/residential/water-supply/desalination/psdp/psdp-compliance-assessment-report-2016-17.pdf

15. 2018TradeFlowandtheDevelopmentofWestport.ReportpreparedbyInfraNomicscommissionedby the Kwinana Industries Council. Available on https://www.westernharboursalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InfraNomics-Report-1-FINAL.pdf

16. 2014.Cockburn Sound Coastal Vulnerability Values and Risk Assessment Study. Prepared for theCockburn SoundCoastal Alliance by BMT-Oceanica, BMTWBMP/L, Damara, SGS Economics andPlanningandCoastalZoneManagement.(1033_001/2_Rev1November2014).

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18. 2010. Western Australian Auditor General’s Report - Environmental Management of CockburnSound.Report8–September2010.

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APPENDIXONE–ESTIMATEDCOSTS

Table 1. Estimated costs over five years (State investment could be smaller if a funding stream isrecognised early in establishment of a restoration program and possible management institute withbetter detailed costings obtained from specialists). Bracketed numbers have not been included inestimates,theyaredependentonexternalordeferredcostingfactors.

Actions Estimatedcostsoverfiveyears$

CommentsandInvestment

1. Habitatrestoration Seagrassrestoration 5million WAhasworldclassscientistsspecialisinginseagrasswith

UWA,MurdochUniversityandEdithCowanhavingcomplementaryexpertise.SeagrasshabitatisthefoundationtoCockburnSound’secologyandcriticaltore-establish.Adequatefundingisrequiredtoundertakereseeding,replantingandculturingonalargeandlongenoughscale(e.g.100sofha’sover10-20years).Ensuringadequategeneticdiversitytohandleclimatechange,increasingtemperaturesanddiseaseswillbechallenging.

Rockyhardsubstrates 0.5million Faviids(brain)coralsandsomekelpsdominateseveralrockyexposedsubstratesalongthewesternedgeofthe

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KwinanashelfandnorthernGardenIsland.Thereareexpectedtobesomelossesfromportdevelopments.

Fishattractiondevices(FADs)andhabitats

2.5million FADswillbenecessarytohelpattractlocalfish,provideextrahabitat,allowjuvenilestogrowandcompensateforgrowingfishingpressureonlocalfishstocks.

2. Invertebratefarming-culturing

Crabs 0.2million Culturingthecommonbluemannawillbedependentonreviewandassessmentofdataandnecessity.

Mussels 1.5million CurrentlyonlyonecommercialenterprisegrowsmusselslocatedneartheCBHgrainterminal.Historicallywildmusselbedsexistedinnumerousareasinwaterslessthan10mbeforepoorwaterqualityisreputedtohavedecimatedtheminthe1960sand70s.

Worms,clams,snails 0.75million Itmaybenecessarytoenhanceexistingdeepandshallowbenthicstandingcropstoimprovediversity,abundanceorfunctionintermsoftheirroleinwaterfiltration,nutrientcyclingandfoodavailabilityforfishandotherpredators.

Echinoderms 0.75million Arichechinodermcommunityreputedlydominatedthedeepbenthosandprovidesimportantfooditemsforfish.

Corals (1million) Culturinglocalcoralsmaybedifficult.Assessmentandrestorationprioritieswilldeterminethedegreeofpriorityforrestoringthistaxon(therearereputedlyover23coraloutcropsinCockburnSound).

3. Fishfarming Snapper 3.5million Pinksnapperisthemainstayofrecreationalfishinginthe

Soundandafterassessmentmayneedtobeculturedandfarmedonalargerscalethaninthepast,i.e.>5000fishayear.EnsuringgeneticdiversityanddiseaseresistanceinbreedingstockandthatfoodavailabilityisadequateintheSoundwillbenecessary.

Garfish,herring,salmon,tailor,dhufish

2million Theserecreationalfishspeciesarealsopopular,andculturingandfarmingtechniquesmayneedtobeinvestigatedorrefined.

Scalymackerel,atherinids-hardyheads,foragefish

1.5million Thesefishareimportantfoodforrecreationalfishstocksbutalsotopiscivorousbirdssuchaslocallittlepenguinsandterns.

4. Hydrodynamicadjustments

GardenIslandcausewayopenings

(500-750million)

ThecausewaywasestimatedtohavereducedwatercirculationinthesouthernSoundbyover40%whenitwascompletedintheearly1970s,exacerbatingpoorwaterqualityforthatregion.Anengineeringreviewisrequiredbut,iffeasibleandadequate,largepipesundertheexistingroadwaymayhelpimproveflushing,waterexchangeandwaterqualityandbelessexpensivethanbuildingextensionsontothecurrentbridgespanonthecauseway.Recentworkshophasindicatedmarginalimprovementstowaterqualityifanotherspanconstructed.

5. Coastalaccess/erosioncontrol/revegetation

(8-10million) Dependentuponneedandexternalfunding.Therearemanyexistinggrantsourcesforthisterrestrialissue.

6. Educationandawarenesscampaigns

1.5million Across-media,socialandeducationalprogramtoraiseawarenessandinformcommunityofprogresswillbeessentialtofosterawarenessandsustainabilityforusing

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CockburnSound’snaturalresources.7. Baselinesurveysto

establishcurrentstateofenvironment

Benthos–standingcrop 0.4million Critical–asourceoffoodforanimalsandnutrientre-cycling.Asidefrommacrobenthos,studieswouldalsoneedtobemadeofthe(bottomsediment)microphytobenthos,microbialecologyandmeiofaunatoensuretheirroleisfullyappreciatedandassessedfortheirimportanceinrestorationefforts.

Zooplankton–standingcrop 0.4million Criticalfortransportanddisseminationofeggs,larvae,juveniles,fooditemsandeffectsonwaterquality.

Nektonandfishincludingestablishingdietsandcroppingrates

1.5million Thefishcommunityandlargedecapodsandothernektonarecriticalconsumersandaretargetsforrecreationalfishing,alsoimportantforstructuringthenaturalmarinecommunity.

Seagrassmappingandcomparison

0.8million Developingthebestdescriptivemapsandmethodstovalidatemapaccuracy,andreviewingandupdatingmappingonaregularbasiswillbenecessary.

Monitoringanddatareview 1.2million ThewholesuiteofenvironmentaldataonCockburnSound–historical,currentandwide-rangingenvironmentaldatawillrequirerobust,scientificandinnovativereviewtechniquesthatwillunderpinassessmentsanddirectionsforrestoration.

Assessmentanddevelopmentofdatabasemanagementsystem(DBMS)

0.35million Acapablefit-for-purposeDBMSwillbeessentialtostoredata,provideinterpretativeoutputsandbearepositoryfortheinstituteandmayneedtohaveinter-operabilitywithotherdatabasessystems.

8. Developmentofdecisionsupporttools

0.4million Undertakinganinteractingprocesswiththecommunityandstakeholderstoestablishcontemporaryenvironmentalvalues,constraints,opportunitiesandprioritieswouldhelpunderpinassessmentsandrecommendationsforrestorationandassessnewdevelopments.ThiswouldneedtobecapturedandintegratedintoaweighteddecisionsupportsystemtohelpassistmanagementoftheSoundanddirectrestorationefforts.Suchdecisionsupportmodelsmusthaveacontemporaryhigh-resolutionecosystemmodeltounderpindecisionmaking.

9. Office–staff(5-6staff?) 0.65million Aresourceofficewithmanagementstafftoservicearestorationinstitute,steeringcommitteeentityandbeafocalpointforrestorationmanagementandreportingwillberequired.Implementation,financialandcontractmanagementandcommunicationstrategiesincontextofrestorationwillbecritical.

TOTAL $25.4million Fundsforfirstfiveyears(excludingcorals,causeway&coastalerosioncosts)

*Urbandrainageimprovementsmaybeneededwithmoregrosspollutanttrapsandsedimentdetentionbasins,maybesmallartificialwetlandstohelpcleanupsurfacewateroutflows.Manywillbesmall-scaledesignsandmostlargedrainsintheregionalreadyhavesomeofthesefeatures.

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