Dr Nicki Shumway is working alongside colleagues at the UQ Law School, CSIRO, the University of Adelaide, James Cook University, and the University of Melbourne on the National Environmental Science Project (NESP) “Identifying and overcoming barriers to coastal and marine habitat restoration and Nature based Solutions in Australia.” The project explores areas that represent barriers and opportunities in implementing restoration and Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
The project focuses on two primary types of restoration interventions: (1) oyster reef restoration, and (2) tidal reintroduction for wetland restoration, with a specific focus on the projects in Queensland and South Australia funded by the Australian Government Carbon Ecosystem Restoration grants. The research team will examine the social, legal, regulatory, and policy influences that have allowed reef restorations to succeed in some jurisdictions (e.g., South Australia’s ribbon reefs) and stall in others (e.g. NSW).
Nicki and colleagues are examining policy and regulatory barriers, and will be working with key restoration stakeholders to identify opportunities to scale up coastal restoration and Nbs.