Act Locally for Moreton Bay’s Global Future

On this International Day for Biological Diversity, the message could not be more relevant to Moreton Bay: local action has global impact.

Quandamooka is not just a beautiful coastal landscape on Brisbane’s doorstep. The Bay is a globally significant ecosystem — a vast, hydrologically diverse bay stretching roughly 115 kilometres from north to south, connected to a catchment of around 22,000 square kilometres, and sitting at the overlap of subtropical and temperate biogeographical zones.

A valuable natural asset in Brisbane’s backyard

That overlap makes Moreton Bay a biodiversity crossroads. Tropical and temperate species meet here. Mangroves, saltmarshes, seagrasses, tidal flats, coral and shellfish reefs, islands, beaches and open waters support an extraordinary web of life. The Bay is also recognised as a Ramsar wetland of international importance, providing habitat for threatened species and supporting ecological processes that reach far beyond South East Queensland.

That biodiversity does not stop at the shoreline. Beneath the surface, the Bay’s seagrass meadows, reefs, channels and shallow marine habitats support turtles, dugongs, dolphins, sharks, rays, fish and invertebrates, while also providing important habitat for marine migratory species that move through the region’s coastal waters.

One of the clearest examples above the tide line is the Bay’s role in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Each year, migratory shorebirds travel thousands of kilometres between the Northern Hemisphere and Australia. Moreton Bay supports 28 migratory shorebird species, including the critically endangered Eastern Curlew. These birds connect our local mudflats and roosts with Arctic breeding grounds, coastal wetlands across Asia, and a global conservation challenge.

Yet local awareness remains low. A 2022 survey cited in the Moreton Bay Blueprint found that only 25 per cent of South East Queensland residents knew Moreton Bay is home to endangered birds that migrate from the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, 33 per cent said they would be “very excited” to learn that these global travellers depend on their local bay.

That is a powerful opportunity. People are more likely to care for the Bay when they understand what is at stake.

The hidden ecosystems holding the Bay together

The Blueprint also reminds us that biodiversity is not only about the species we can easily see. While the Bay’s mangroves are currently in good condition, other critical habitats are under pressure. Saltmarsh and shellfish reefs are classified as being in poor condition, with saltmarsh continuing to decline. These quieter ecosystems matter enormously. They buffer shorelines, filter water, store carbon, support fish and invertebrates, and provide feeding and nursery areas for wildlife.

At the same time, human pressure is increasing. South East Queensland continues to grow. Recreational boating is rising. Coastal urban and industrial development, fishing, pollution, sediment, climate change and habitat loss all place additional stress on the Bay’s living systems.

World Biodiversity Day is a reminder that Moreton Bay’s future will not be secured by admiration alone. It will depend on practical, local action: protecting shorebird roosts, restoring shellfish reefs, safeguarding saltmarsh, improving water quality, managing recreation carefully, planning coastal development responsibly, and helping more people discover the global significance of the Bay in their own backyard.

Biodiversity is the essence of Moreton Bay — the living system that sustains wildlife, habitats and people. When biodiversity is in trouble, so are we. Let’s protect the Bay like our future depends on it — because it does.