Repainting Our Reef – integrating art and shellfish reef restoration

More than 100 children added a splash of colour to Native Flat Oyster shells at the Luminous event as part of the Eurobodalla River of Art Festival held in Moruya in late September.

It is all part of a project to raise community awareness of our lost shellfish reefs through art and promote the Wagonga Inlet Living Shorelines (WILS) project, which aims to restore this unique habitat to the estuary.

The children decorated more than 130 Native Flat Oyster shells at the workshop hosted by the WILS project.

Whilst the kids painted, everyone had an opportunity to learn more about the project through video presentations, plans and conversations with Eurobodalla Shire Council staff, who were on-hand to answer their questions.

The decorated oyster shells will be artistically incorporated into WILS by potentially creating a shellfish reef display, weaving them into interpretative signage, or integrating them into the pathways.

The WILS project showcases how nature-based solutions to coastal management can protect foreshores, build habitat resilience and enhance recreational opportunities for coastal communities.

WILS is an exciting new collaboration between Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) through the Marine Estate Management Strategy (MEMS), and The Nature Conservancy Australia, via the Australian Government’s Reef Builder initiative.

To find out more visit  Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline | Eurobodalla Council website (nsw.gov.au) , Marine Estate Management Strategy and TNC’s Reef Builder