Saltmarshes are vital, but fragile systems and when they suffer damage, they can take decades to regrow. However, there are methods that can help speed this up – accelerating the restoration process and helping these important ecosystems heal more quickly.
As part of a previous Australian Government funded project, NRM South worked with the University of Tasmania to trial accelerated saltmarsh restoration at Moulting Lagoon by using soil and mulch-filled hessian sacks to improve saltmarsh establishment.
Through our current project at this internationally significant wetland, we are once again working with UTAS to establish a second large-scale saltmarsh restoration site. In May 2025, NRM South joined researchers from UTAS and members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre to set up a new layout of hessian sacks that will help restore areas of saltmarsh that have suffered sediment loss through long periods of grazing.
The sacks work by elevating the recovery areas by around 5cm, providing a more stable substrate and helping to significantly speed up saltmarsh recovery. The next stage of this restoration effort will see us working with UTAS to plant saltmarsh across five hectares later next year.
This visit was also a chance for TAC members to get hands-on experience in saltmarsh recovery work and spend time at a culturally important site and we look forward to bringing you some reflections from the TAC on this visit in the near future.
Thanks to visiting researcher Yehuda Ben-Hamo for the fantastic drone footage captured on the day.
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by NRM South, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.