The Western Australian Government has announced a new seagrass monitoring project that will be aimed at providing valuable data to scientists about the health of the Swan and Canning rivers.

 

“Halophila ovalis plays a number of important ecological roles in the Riverpark, including being a food source for the Black Swan.  Its growth is thought to be influenced by water quality,”  State Environment Minister Bill Marmion said.

 

“Work is being carried out to determine whether seagrass could be used as an ongoing indicator of estuary condition, in the same way nitrogen and phosphorus are used to give us a picture of river health.”

 

The Minister said if the project was successful, ongoing monitoring of seagrass at key locations in the Swan and Canning estuary would provide the science to more effectively manage the estuary in the future.

 

“The State Government has done a lot of work trying to help develop and encourage inter-agency collaboration in the science field,” he said.

 

“Good environmental management comes from good science.  This new project to assess seagrass health, with current knowledge of seagrass extent, will enhance our ability to manage the Swan-Canning estuary effectively.”