S2 E26: Restoring Seagrass on the Great Barrier Reef with Dr Tim Smith
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🌱 Seagrass meadows are the unsung heroes of the Great Barrier Reef – nurseries for fish, food for turtles and dugongs, and a frontline defence against climate change. But after a massive die-off, Dr Tim Smith and the team at JCU TropWATER faced a huge challenge: how do you restore these fragile ecosystems while dealing with crocodiles, stingers, and waist-deep mud?
The answer: helicopters, hovercraft, dugong poo, 2,000 baby seagrass plants – and an army of everyday volunteers.
🎧 In this episode, dive into a world-first tropical seagrass restoration project and discover how you can be part of the solution.
👉 Sign up to volunteer: https://ozfish.org.au/events
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Chapters
1. Introductions & Joke of the Week (00:00:00)
2. Seagrasses of the GBR (00:02:39)
3. Green Island: Seagrass Heaven (00:04:50)
4. Why is Seagrass Important? (00:07:37)
5. Seagrass vs. seaweed (00:11:53)
6. Sea Flowers and Sea Bees (00:13:33)
7. Looking for seagrass seeds (00:17:00)
8. Impact of Seagrass Loss on Dugongs and Turtles (00:19:44)
9. Why Seagrass is Immortal (00:20:16)
10. Spying on Fish (00:23:10)
11. Threats to Seagrasses (00:25:26)
12. The FNQ Seagrass Restoration Project (00:26:37)
13. Climate Impacts on Seagrass (00:37:07)
48 episodes