elcome to our Christmas 1999 issue. It’s been eight years
since Reef Research ‘hit the shelves’ and a lot has
certainly happened during that time. As the newsletter has evolved,
so too in many ways has the Authority. During those eight years we’ve
seen a restructure or two and a refocus towards critical issues. It
begs the question, what will the next eight years hold?
There’s quite a mixed bag of articles this time around. The
newsletter’s former editor, Steve Hillman, makes an appearance in Slick
Talk. Steve briefly discusses the recommendations that were made
at a recent ballast water workshop. The workshop was organised by
the Association of Australian Ports and Marine Authorities and the
Ports Corporation of Queensland and aimed to bring together a range
of people to discuss what actions need to be taken to ensure that
there are adequate and effective responses to the ballast water
problem.
To continue on with the shipping-related theme, and also to
compliment the oil spill feature of Reef Management News,
guest writer Michael White provides a brief overview of an oil spill
scenario. We also have a short introductory article from the
Queensland Society of Accredited Maritime Professionals Inc.
As promised in the last issue, James Innes and Jayne Ormsby
report on the results of the second Whitehaven Beach study. This
study was carried out by Jayne Ormsby and Scott Schafer and aimed to
ascertain the values local residents and visitors have for the
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands area.
Reducing sediment and nutrient loss from pastoral lands in
northern Australia is the focus of What’s Out There? A
grazing trial has been established on a property near Charters
Towers, northern Queensland. The trial will look at many factors
including nutrient and sediment loss and the economics of different
grazing strategies. It is hoped that the results of the trial will
encourage graziers to adopt sustainable management practices.
The restoration of mangrove forests is the focus of Paige
Rothenberger’s article. Even though this article concentrates on a
reforestation project that is being carried out in the US Virgin
Islands, the methods employed by the project team, and the lessons
learnt, will no doubt be of interest to some of you.
And finally, I join up with Paul Hough, a biologist with ReefHQ,
to delve into the fascinating world of the seahorse.
