UniDive investigates changes to local reefs

Volunteer divers from The University of Queensland’s Underwater Club have began their descent on the North Stradbroke Island Point Lookout dive sites, to measure changes in plant and animal life over the past 13 years.

The UniDive PLEA (Point Lookout Ecological Assessment) project aims to provide an assessment of Shag Rock, Flat Rock and Manta Bombie and to compare the findings against a 2001 study of the same sites.

UniDive member Lachlan Pollard said between 50 and 70 divers would be involved in the study, running until the end of October.

“Many considerations have been made in the development of the underwater study, ensuring flora and fauna are correctly compared over the 13-year period,” he said.

Mr Pollard said there had been a range of changes since the 2001 study.

“There has been an increase in marine activities such as diving and fishing, Flat Rock has been listed as a protected zone, and boat moorings have been put in place to reduce anchor damage,” he said.

“And South East Queensland’s population has grown, and we have had large scale weather events such as the 2011 Queensland floods.”

Repeating data-collection techniques used in the original UniDive study, the divers will make 400 dives during summer, autumn, winter and spring.

The collected data will be analysed and the results will be presented to the local community, researchers, management and monitoring agencies at the end of 2014.

Scientific divers will provide training to volunteer club members from UQ’s School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management; School of Veterinary Science; and Centre for Marine Science.

Training modules will include fish, invertebrates, coral, substrate and impacts identification, habitat mapping and general surveying techniques.

The training will allow the divers to compare coral and fish life within a defined area against the 2001 study.

Project PLEA has been made possible by a Redland City Council Community grant of $9500 and support from businesses, conservation groups and University of Queensland research groups.

UQ Research Fellow and Project Organiser Dr Chris Roelfsema can be contacted on 0400207401 for further information.

View previous project results by UniDive volunteers here.

Media: UniDive member Lachlan Pollard, 0457590123.