Port of Weipa long-term seagrass monitoring program, 2000 - 2016

Seagrasses have been monitored annually in the Port of Weipa since 2000. Each year all seagrasses within the Intensive Monitoring Area (IMA) around the major areas of port activity are mapped and five core seagrass meadows representing the range of different seagrass community types found in Weipa are assessed for changes in biomass, area and species composition. Changes to biomass, area and species composition are then used to develop a seagrass condition index (see section 2.3). Every three years all seagrasses within the port limits are remapped (last conducted in 2014)