Port River and Barker Inlet

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister outline for the chamber what the South Australian government is doing to protect the Port River and Barker Inlet region in Adelaide's northern outskirts?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:43): I thank the honourable member for her very important question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Will the Leader of the Government please allow the minister—it was hard enough to hear the question, but let us now hear the answer. Minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Whilst the Port River and the Barker Inlet region is a busy working port, it also sustains an extensive coastal ecosystem that is home to a vast array of marine life and many opportunities for recreation. Internationally, it has become widely recognised that such ecosystems have a very significant financial dollar value. This was a topic discussed during a workshop earlier this year that involved the community, researchers, managers and industry participants and was jointly held by Flinders University of South Australia and the Australian National University.

The Barker Inlet includes important salt marsh, mangrove and seagrass habitats, and South Australia has some of the most extensive coastal wetland systems of these types in the country. These ecosystems play an extremely valuable role in storing carbon from the atmosphere and oceans and are an essential part of the solution to global climate change.

Following an ecosystem evaluation based on an international approach, endorsed by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the ecosystem services within and around the Barker Inlet have been initially valued at $3 billion. Ecosystem services are the benefits we obtain from the environment which usually are not costed into any normal business plan, such as the provision of food and water from our fisheries and agriculture, the regulation of flood and natural coast protection, cultural services such as wellbeing and recreation, and essential services through oxygen production and nutrient cycling that maintain the conditions for life on earth and also coastal protection. These are very vital services and, as stated, by Dr Sandhu from Flinders University School of the Environment:

Coastal restoration is a growing issue around the world and we can set a precedent in considering ecosystem services for future developments.

This is certainly what this state government has been doing by investing in this local area. For example, the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources is working with Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure to identify opportunities for the creation of shorebird habitats and any new wetlands that may be developed as part of the Northern Connector project. The creation of these wetlands would have the added benefit of improving the quality of stormwater entering Barker Inlet and therefore benefiting the local environment; and we are working closely with the Environment Protection Authority to rehabilitate the Ridley salt fields at Dry Creek.

The state government is also working towards the creation of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, located along the Gulf St Vincent coastline, stretching from the Barker Inlet in the south, to Port Parham in the north, and we've invested $2 million to purchase 2,300 hectares of land north of Light River, and by 2018 we will have invested a further $1.7 million with the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary, once proclaimed, will be one of the longest continuous coastal reserves in our state and will include incredibly beautiful and largely untouched coastline. It will protect migratory birds and other wildlife as well as draw birdwatchers and visitors from around Australia and, of course, the rest of the world.

Additionally, the Port River is home to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, a popular tourist attraction and one of metropolitan Adelaide's gems. Located in the Port River and Barker Inlet, the sanctuary is just 20 minutes from the city centre and features a 10,000-year-old mangrove forest. A resident pod of about 30 bottlenose dolphins call the river home, I am advised, while up to another 300 dolphins visit the area regularly. This is a rich and diverse area that deserves our protection and our attention.

The state government was pleased to support this workshop that explored ways to maximise the positive ecosystem outcomes for our key natural assets at Port Adelaide, and I very much look forward to the outcome of this research to provide us with a greater understanding of the value of protecting our state's natural assets.