Programmes Towards Good Aquatic Stewardship Practices

The University of Newcastle actively develops and supports academic, research, and community programs that promote strong aquatic stewardship practices. In 2025, ongoing practical education and conservation initiatives encouraged students and community members to assess, understand and care for local waterways, wetlands and coastal ecosystems.

ENVS2009: Aquatic Stewardship in Action

In Semester 2, 2025, the University offered ENVS2009 – Catchment and Water Resource Management at Callaghan and Ourimbah. This undergraduate course equips students with the skills and knowledge to understand and manage freshwater ecosystems in a sustainable way, using local and regional catchments to connect science with decisions about water resources.

The 2025 teaching programme included on-campus catchment habitat assessment, field measurements and water-quality sample collection, followed by a compulsory Williams River field excursion. Students examined water chemistry, aquatic macroinvertebrates, stormwater management and constructed wetlands, and were assessed on their ability to report findings and make evidence-based recommendations for aquatic habitat and water quality.

Community programmes supporting local aquatic habitats

Frog Find: citizen science for freshwater wildlife

In March 2025, the University profiled its continuing Frog Find community science initiative, which helps locate and protect threatened frog habitats in New South Wales. University PhD researcher Oliver Kelly is expanding this initiative with support from the Gregory Knibb Memorial Scholarship in Conservation. Acoustic monitoring devices record frog calls in the field, while community volunteers help review recordings and recognise species, building shared knowledge of habitats and environmental health.

Natural Connection: learning along Newcastle’s coast

During the January 2025 school holidays, the City of Newcastle’s recurring Natural Connection programme focused on beaches, rock pools and the small organisms living in coastal sand. University marine science students contributed to community activities that introduced families and other participants to local marine biodiversity and practical ways to care for coastal habitats. The continuing City–University relationship links public learning with the stewardship of Newcastle’s aquatic environments.

Additional education and stewardship pathways

Ocean care in classrooms (2025)

Through the University’s Ma & Morley Scholarship Program, alumna Emma Dubos developed an interactive marine-conservation workshop for schools and community spaces, reported in October 2025. The curriculum-relevant resource is designed to build ocean literacy, environmental responsibility and beach-safety awareness, with materials that educators can continue to use.

Marine Invaders: understanding marine biosecurity (2024)

The University supported a collaborative Australian adaptation of the marine-biosecurity card game Marine Invaders, led locally by Dr Caelli Brooker with University of Waikato and community partners. The Marine Invaders – Saltwater Country exhibition, held at Watt Space from 27 November to 7 December 2024, explored native and invasive marine species and care for Saltwater Country through Indigenous perspectives, science and art. The project provides an earlier example of practical, participatory marine education.

CoastSnap: community observation of coastal change

The long-running CoastSnap Community Beach Monitoring program, co-founded by University researcher Dr Michael Kinsela and a University of New South Wales collaborator, encourages community members to submit repeat photographs of beaches. These images can help researchers and coastal managers measure shoreline change and inform adaptive management. This established citizen-science model demonstrates how community observations can support coastal care.

Longer-term stewardship of campus wetlands

The University’s Callaghan Landscape Management Implementation Plan established a site-based approach to managing campus bushland, freshwater wetlands and riparian habitats. A historical example is the University’s 2015 work with WetlandCare Australia through Newcastle Wetland Connections, which included restoration of waterways and wetland corridors at Callaghan. These earlier initiatives provide a foundation for the University’s ongoing management and conservation of freshwater wetlands, waterways and surrounding habitats at Callaghan throughout 2025.

Sharing experience beyond the region

The University also works with Pacific partners on aquatic conservation. Its Mangrove Masters training and Moata’a Living Lab partnership, described in a University research-impact account updated in September 2025, supports community-led monitoring, mangrove restoration and local management in Samoa. This work illustrates a wider approach to participatory stewardship while remaining distinct from initiatives focused on aquatic ecosystems near Newcastle.