Recently we had represetatives from our action group attend a Westernport Environment Research and Science Seminar conducted by Melbourne Water. The Seminar was very informative and updated many of the areas of concern and looked at strategies to help protect and manage Western Port as a valuable asset in terms of its environmental value to all Victorians. The future of the bay is still under threat from the port development, this research shows that further Industrialisation will have a negative impact on the health of Westernport.
In order to manage marine environments effectively, we need to know what aspects of marine environments are important (and to whom), and recognise the activities that might pose threats; and from that position, examine ways of managing major threats to important environmental components. Important aspects of ecosystems are commonly called ‘values’ or ‘assets’, and we adopt the term ‘assets’ here. Assets are components of the ecosystem. They may have a very narrow focus, such as an individual species and a specific breeding area, or they may be broad and inconspicuous, such as habitat areas that support nutrient cycling or other ecosystem services.
Here is a link to the full PDF of the Research & Publication released at the seminar.