Global expertise, local impact

By Lucy Stafford

Gladstone’s ecosystems are not just beautiful, they’re essential to the region’s economy.  

CQUniversity Principal Research Fellow Associate Professor Carolyn Lundquist is working with local industry to deliver nature-based solutions that protect the environment while supporting sustainable business operations.  

Through projects led by CQUniversity's Coastal Marine Ecosystem Research Centre (CMERC) in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and working with Traditional Owners, researchers are scaling up seagrass restoration and creating mangrove and oyster reefs.  

Local port managers at Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) are also working with researchers to trial a range of nature-based initiatives such as living seawalls. 
These projects aim to improve water quality, strengthen coastal resilience and support fisheries, while helping maintain sustainable port operations. Early results point to successful habitat establishment and strong potential to expand seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and oyster reef systems. 

A/Prof Lundquist said the local partnerships demonstrated how working with nature delivered practical and economic benefits. 

In Gladstone, we’re seeing how nature-positive practices, including living seawalls, expanded seagrass restoration and mangrove and oyster reef creation, help support sustainable port operations while maintaining healthy ecosystems within a working multi-commodity port,” A/Prof Lundquist said. 

“These projects make economic sense because they help safeguard the natural assets that port communities and industries depend on.” 

This regional work is highly informed by A/Prof Lundquist’s global expertise, who recently attended the 12th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Manchester.  

The IPBES 12th Plenary brought together more than 1 000 delegates from around 150 governments, reflecting a strong global focus on the links between business and nature.   

A/Prof Lundquist serves on IPBES' Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) - a global panel that oversees the scientific quality of IPBES assessments. For the first time, women (including Dr Lundquist who was re-elected for a second three-year term) now make up most of this panel. 

During the Plenary in Manchester, governments approved the first-ever business and biodiversity methodological assessment. This report confirms that all businesses depend on and impact nature, and that biodiversity loss now poses growing risks to economies worldwide. 

“Lessons from Gladstone and Central Queensland are contributing to global solutions, and the international perspectives I bring back help guide our local projects,” A/Prof Lundquist said. 

The IPBES assessment also highlighted an imbalance in global finance. 

“Trillions of dollars continue to flow into activities that harm nature, while far less is invested in conservation,” A/Prof Lundquist said.  

“Around the world, trillions of dollars continue to flow into activities that harm nature, while far less is invested in conservation,” A/Prof Lundquist said. 

“More than half of global Gross Domestic Product is moderately or highly dependent on biodiversity, showing that ecosystem degradation is not just an environmental issue, it’s an economic one.”  

Locally, CMERC and GPC’s long running partnership includes co-funded scholarships, research projects and field trials that integrate environmental science directly into port management. Their work supports broader biodiversity programs, including restoring mangroves, seagrasses and coral, ecosystems vital to Gladstone Harbour, fisheries and local industry.