CONCEALED beneath a glassy ocean, huge underwater forests of kelp and seaweed underpin south-west’s marine ecosystem, but climate change could spell disaster, according to marine experts.
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Warm water loving marine pests that eat through Australian kelp and severe storms that rip it out of the ocean threatens the marine wonderland around Warrnambool.
Deakin University marine biologist Dr Alecia Bellgrove told The Standard researchers have noticed areas of kelp forests beginning to disappear, while a marine urchin that can eat through the kelp in plague proportions has been sighted near Portland.
“We have recently carried out some under water monitoring of the ocean and identified extensive areas of dying kelp,” Dr Bellgrove said.
“We have some capability to measure temperature but there isn’t a lot of data.”
Marine researchers in Australia are watching Tasmania very carefully after a species of urchin — known as centro stephanus — last year decimated a huge kelp forest there.
“Some of my colleagues have found it in Portland,” Dr Bellgrove warned.
While the species is more likely to land near eastern Victoria, she said it was alarming it was spotted nearby. The pot-bellied sea horse is among the species at risk if the kelp does disappear.
“The loss of a significant species like kelp can have a big impact on the biodiversity of the ecosystem,” Dr Bellgrove said.
Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber highlighted the threat yesterday during a tour of Warrnambool to support newly announced Wannon candidate Tim Emanuelle.
Mr Barber said Parks Victoria did not have the funding to defend the under water forests from the onslaught of the urchins or climate change.
“We have all the same environmental problems under water as we do on land — we’ve got catchment run off, we’ve got invasive species and the effects of climate change,” Mr Barber said.
“It’s already starting and it’s going to get worse.”
He said the Victorian Auditor-General had previously been unable to determine how much Parks Victoria spent specifically on marine conservation.
“The Auditor-General found it was hard to find out how much effort was put into the ocean versus the land ... there was no real system for monitoring,” he said.
