Port Curtis seagrass monitoring programme: Queensland Energy Resources Limited Surveys: 2000-2005

Following a scientific review that identified a lack of spatial control sites in the initial survey design, a revised sampling programme was established in November 2000 (Lewis et a/., 2000). The revised programme design included two additional seagrass beds {Worthington Island and Black Swan Creek), and has resulted in an annual spring assessment of seagrass composit ion, standing-stock and macrobenthic diversity at seven discrete sampling stations in Port Curtis (Currie et al., 2003). In November 2004, two additional seagrass stations at Worthington Island were added to this design, and a macrobenthic station (thirty) where seagrass was found was also added. This report examines spatial and temporal variations in these parameters between November 2000 and November 2005, and the relevance of observed changes in relation to Stuart Oil Shale developments.