Tourism as a Catalyst for Blue Carbon Restoration and Conservation: Pathways, Gaps, and Opportunities Tourism is a major driver of coastal economies worldwide, yet it is also a growing source of pressure on blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. Nowadays, touri...

Stoked to share our latest paper looking at #regenerativetourism for coastal wetland conservation and restoration 🧳 ✈️ 🌱

Surveys reveal remarkable biodiversity in Illawarra waterways Samples are cross-referenced with existing species records, creating a catalogue of all living things that have come into contact with water samples

Recent eDNA surveys conducted by Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils found over 2500 species in or near #Illawarra waterways 🤯

Read my latest article for a story of visitors, voyagers and vulnerability in a changing climate.

Identifying predictors of tropical cyclone impacts on coastal agriculture to assess coastal wetland buffering signals Our findings provide novel evidence of wetland buffering signals for storm impacts on agriculture, though only over short spatial ranges. The study highlights the importance of conserving and restori...

Coastal wetland restoration can bolster climate resilience & food security in N Queensland🥭

There's a spatial association between coastal wetlands & cyclone damage on the Whitsunday Coast after Cyclone Debbie. Flooding & crop loss were lower within 1km of saltmarsh or mangroves

Want to know more?

Tidal reinstatement of coastal wetlands: a global review Maximizing positive outcomes from tidal reinstatement requires deliberate planning, monitoring, and reporting practices. Practitioners should prioritize standardized, long-term monitoring that captur...

🌊 What happens when you let the tide back in?

In our recently published global review, we summarise the outcomes of tidal #restoration projects, demonstrating biodiversity gains and fisheries enhancement as well as improvements in hydrology, sediments, nutrients, and pest control.

Smoke on the water: When bushfires strike vulnerable wetlands University of Wollongong researchers are beginning to understand how coastal wetlands are responding to damage from bushfires six years ago

New research from the the University of Wollongong assessing how #coastalwetlands respond to fire disturbance! 🔥🚒

Read more in @theillawarraflame.bsky.social

Youth Leading the Way: Youth Task Force announces Global Grantees of the #GenerationRestoration Microgrant 2026 Ecosystem restoration generates tangible benefits for food and water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and can prevent conflict and migration triggered by environmental degradation.

Exciting news! 😃🗞️
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force have announced ten microgrant recipients under the first-round of a global scheme to activate #GenerationRestoration by accelerating youth-led #grassroots #restoration projects.

The UN Decade Youth Task Force is collecting info on contributions, challenges, and policy engagement of youth in restoration globally.

If you are a young leader working in grassroots restoration, please fill in the survey, open until 30th December. Thanks for your help! 🙏
lnkd.in/gmzf4eEv

I was honoured to present the Asia Pacific Youth Environment Manifesto 2025 at the Sixth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific in Nadi, Fiji.

I have provided more detailed reflections on the event and the Asia Pacific Youth Environment Forum on LinkedIn.

#APYEF2025 #youth

Common Ground: Where a Baby Boomer ex-coal miner meets a Gen Z marine ecologist - The Illawarra Flame Darryl Best and Phebe Fidge are both Illawarra locals and regular contributors to the Illawarra Flame. Despite their vastly different backgrounds – Darryl having worked in coal mines most of his life ...

A retired coal miner and young marine ecologist walk into a bar…

They share their perspectives on the future of #renewableenergy in Australia and discuss a common path forward 👣

www-theillawarraflame-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.thei...

Generation Restoration: Advancing youth-led restoration through knowledge and networks A capacity building workshop aiming to equip global youth with knowledge and skills needed to pursue ecosystem restoration.

🌍 Are you a young leader passionate about restoring our planet? 🌱

Join us August 9th for #GenerationRestoration: Advancing youth-led restoration through knowledge and networks — a workshop by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force.

events.humanitix.com/generation-r...

A wonderful week at #AMSA2025!

My key takeaway:
We have the data. We have the solutions. Now let’s act to protect and restore our oceans 💧

Review of methods for quantifying the benefits of coastal wetlands in absorbing and buffering extreme weather event impacts on coastal infrastructure Coastal wetlands reduce extreme weather event impacts on coastlines globally. As climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of…

The way we measure #coastalprotection by #mangroves and #tidalmarshes can profoundly affect the perceived value of this ecosystem service 🌊

Check out our new review in Ecosystem Services!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Systems Thinking in Action: How do we produce power and protect wildlife at the same time? YouTube video by Education Futures Academy

A great opportunity to reflect on the way we think and solve problems! 🌐

In this video developed by UniSA for high school students, I talk about systems thinking for real world problem solving in the context of #wetlandrestoration and #offshorewind development.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4J3...

What drives landholders to engage in coastal wetland programs? A synthesis of current knowledge and opportunities for future research This article reviews the global literature on the key factors driving landholders' decisions to engage in coastal wetland programs in private land contexts. Based on our review and synthesis, we disc...

Proud to have been part of this global review led by Dr. Rifaee Rasheed about landholder motivations, challenges and concerns for restoring #coastalwetlands on privately owned lands 🌱

doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

Our uncommon future: How disunity, fear and sabotage threaten Australia’s climate future Right now, Australia is headed in the wrong direction. It is time for us to turn around and confront climate change and what it means.

My next big thought piece in @reneweconomy.com.au 💥

Here’s what needs to happen to see the rapid, progressive and disruptive changes needed to combat #climatechange.

reneweconomy.com.au/our-uncommon...

#ClimateActionNow #youth #renewables

3 Ways with Climate Action: The conversation starter - The Illawarra Flame Your trusted source of independent local news for 10 years

“We are the last generation that can do anything to limit global warming to less than 2°C by 2100 and avoid ecological catastrophe, but this requires rapid, progressive and disruptive changes,” says 27yo marine ecologist and ACF volunteer Phebe Fidge. www.theillawarraflame.com.au/page/3-ways-...