An ecosystem in crisis: a warning from our friends in South Australia
- Konrad Kurta
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust strongly believes in the power of shared knowledge and collective action. Our relationship with Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries (EMS) in South Australia is a natural reflection of that.
EMS is based on our Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) programme. It inspires people to connect with the ocean, fostering a love and understanding that inspires conservation action. Their health and safety and processes are guided by EMR. We've learned much from their innovative approaches, and they, in turn, have looked to us for guidance for almost a decade.
Some of our team have been lucky enough to visit their Cuttlefish Fest event, and some of their team have attended our annual trip to the Poor Knights. It's a relationship built on mutual respect and a shared vision for thriving marine ecosystems.
We’ve got a lot of aroha for our friends at EMS. And we’re distressed to see what’s happening in their backyard.
A devastating bloom: the reality for EMS
Our colleagues at EMS are facing an immense and heartbreaking challenge: a huge, persistent algal bloom has swept through their local waters, impacting the marine parks they’re so intimately connected with.
This isn't just a discolouration of the water. It's a profound ecological crisis. The bloom, fuelled by nutrient pollution, has created vast ‘dead zones’ where oxygen levels plummet, suffocating marine life.
Fish, corals, and invertebrates are perishing in vast numbers. Citizen scientists have logged tens of thousands of dead sea creatures in iNaturalist, and this is likely a small percentage of overall mortality.
The impact is clearly visible beneath the surface. It isn’t just killing sea creatures - it’s turning vibrant underwater landscapes into barren wastelands.
The EMS facebook page, usually filled with heart-warming stories from events and community connections, is punctuated with heartbreaking reports of an ecosystem in crisis.
The impacts of bloom are far-reaching, threatening not only the biodiversity of marine parks in South Australia, but also the local fishing industry and tourism that depends on a healthy ocean.
It’s hard to say when the bloom will end. Algal blooms thrive in warmer waters, and it has managed to persist through winter so far.
The scale of this event is truly devastating, and it serves as a stark warning for marine conservation efforts worldwide.
The algal threat to Aotearoa: how do we stop it happening here?
The tragic events unfolding in Australia raise a critical question for us here in Aotearoa: could something similar happen to our precious marine environments?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes.
New Zealand's coastal waters and lakes, particularly around populated areas and intensive agriculture, are also vulnerable to algal blooms. They have occurred here previously, albeit on a smaller scale. Factors like nutrient run-off from farms (fertilisers, animal waste) and urban areas (wastewater, stormwater) can overload our waterways with nitrogen and phosphorus. These excess nutrients act like a feast for algae, leading to rapid, uncontrolled growth.
When we say ‘protecting our waters from the Mountains to Sea’, it’s not just a throwaway tagline. Our freshwater and marine ecosystems are an interconnected whole. Cyclone Hale didn’t just dump tonnes of slash and sediment into our waters - it caused a mass die-off of marine life.
What happens in our rivers and streams has far-reaching implications on the marine ecosystem.
South Australia’s plight is another example of how land use patterns have far-reaching implications. Scientists believe flood events and the associated runoff from the Murray/Darling Basin in late 2022 and early 2023 are partly responsible for the current crisis.
Rising ocean temperatures due to climate change further exacerbate the problem, creating ideal conditions for these blooms to flourish and persist.
There is no reason the same thing couldn’t happen in New Zealand. And if it did, the effects would be catastrophic.
Beyond the immediate ecological devastation of dead zones, algal blooms can produce toxins that accumulate in shellfish and other marine life, posing a threat to human health through seafood consumption. They can also smother seagrass beds and coral reefs - vital habitats for many vulnerable species.
What we need to do
So, how can we prevent such a disaster from occurring here?
It requires a multi-faceted approach:
Improved land management: Limiting agricultural run-off is crucial. This includes lots of riparian planting, retiring marginal land, careful fertiliser use, and farm planning that acknowledges the vital role the environment plays in sustaining our farms.
Upgraded wastewater infrastructure: Farmers say it’s not fair to single them out for the challenges facing our aquatic ecosystems. They are right. Just ask any Aucklander who wants to go swimming in the sea after it rains! Towns and cities must invest in modern wastewater treatment, best-practice stormwater management, and prevent excess nutrients and urban runoff from entering our oceans.
Climate change mitigation: Reducing our carbon footprint globally will help slow ocean warming, making our waters less hospitable to harmful algal species.
Increased monitoring and research: Continuously monitoring our coastal waters for early signs of algal blooms and investing in research to understand their triggers will allow for quicker responses.
Public awareness and education: It’s vital we continue to empower communities to understand the problem and take action in their daily lives. That includes responsible waste disposal, supporting sustainable practices, and taking restorative action in our own backyards.
The plight of our friends across the ditch is a powerful reminder that our marine and freshwater ecosystems are interconnected and vulnerable. Our aroha goes out to them, and the challenges they’re facing. We hope the ecosystem can heal in the near future.
In Aotearoa, we ignore these events at our peril. They’re a tohu - a sign of what happens if we don’t protect the environment that sustains us.
We’ll leave you with a whakataukī - a proverb that underpins the work Mountains to Sea does every day.
Whakamana te maunga
Whakamana te wai
He mauri o ngā tangata
Ngā mea katoa he pai
If we look after our waters
from the mountains to the sea
they will look after us.
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