Groyne designs for novel habitat creation with repurposed sediment within the Port of Gladstone

The intense modification of our coastlines over the past century has led to a concerning loss of the “services” provided to society by our coastal ecosystems. Irreversible changes in land use and a climate in flux mean that the recovery and preservation of these valuable ecosystem services may not always be best achieved simply by restoring existing habitats, but can also involve the creation of new, productive and resilient habitat – a “natural intensification”. While the coastal defences required for urban and industrial development, such as seawalls, breakwaters, and bund walls, are often associated with negative ecological impacts, these structures may also represent an opportunity to achieve environmental goals when combined with efforts to create new habitat. Here we discuss the design of a “living seawall” within the Port of Gladstone, that will create a new extensive intertidal sediment habitat for mangroves, oysters, and seagrass, adjacent to a major reclamation area being designed to house dredge sp