Marine Habitats of Kurtijar Indigenous Protected Area

Overview

Seagrass meadows across remote northern Australia provide critical habitat for dugongs, turtles, fish, prawns, and other key species, yet data on their extent and condition remain limited. Few large-scale or long-term monitoring programs exist, meaning regional planning often proceeds with minimal understanding of potential impacts on these ecosystems.

NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 3.5 – Partnerships for Seagrass Research and Protection – addresses these gaps by consolidating existing data, identifying priorities for new surveys, generating new datasets, and improving access to seagrass information to support better management and sustainable development. Within this broader program, the Kurtijar Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, was identified as a priority area for assessment. The IPA extends from the Norman River near Karumba to the Staaten River and includes the Staaten–Gilbert Fish Habitat Area, supporting diverse marine habitats, endangered species, and fisheries that are commercially, recreationally, and culturally important. The survey of intertidal and subtidal habitats within Kurtijar Sea Country was a collaborative effort involving researchers from TropWATER (James Cook University), the Northern Institute (Charles Darwin University), and Edith Cowan University, working in partnership with the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and Normanton Rangers. The study provides the first comprehensive baseline data on benthic habitats across the IPA, contributing to a larger regional effort to map and monitor seagrass across northern Australia and strengthen Indigenous-led management of Sea Country.

Intertidal surveys were conducted by helicopter at 380 sites from 27 to 28 August 2023 and 23 October 2023. Subtidal surveys were undertaken on the live-aboard MV Eclipse from 4–6 October 2023. Fifty-one subtidal sites were surveyed using a towed video and sled net, drop camera, and grab sampling. The area was highly turbid with mud as the dominant sediment type and low cover of seagrass, algae, and macroinvertebrates. Two seagrass species were recorded: Halodule uninervis in the intertidal area between Karumba and Smithburne River, and Halophila ovalis at three sites between the Gilbert River and Staaten River at a depth of 11–14m. Benthic macroinvertebrates, including sea pens, whips, sponges and hydroids, were found at only 22% of sites in the subtidal area. Filamentous algae were present at 2% of intertidal sites, and erect macrophyte algae were present at 4% of subtidal sites.

This project delivers essential baseline data and maps to support Kurtijar people and the QLD Government in the planning and management of Kurtijar Sea Country and the IPA. Spatial data such as this enables communities to identify key areas for monitoring and management, particularly those with cultural significance, ecological importance, or resource management priorities.