The key objectives of the Foundation are to:
Conserve, protect, enhance and promote
the ecology of the Port River and Barker Inlet Estuary, and the benefits thus provided.
Support, undertake, facilitate and monitor eco-engineering to safeguard shorelines, community assets and the habitat of estuarine species, from rising sea levels.
Facilitate research, education and training relevant to the conservation, protection and restoration of, and carbon sequestration in, the Port River and Barker Inlet Estuary.
Pursue the objects of the Foundation in collaboration with local residents, community organisations, industries, corporations, and governments.
Restoring terrestrial, intertidal and aquatic habitats is the best way to achieve the Foundation's objectives.
The main priorities of the Foundation are:
Shellfish reefs and seagrass beds are the foundation to a healthy marine foodweb and stabilise the seafloor; improving the quality of water.
Shellfish also filter the water of sediments and excess nutrients.
Intertidal areas, and their cover of mangroves and saltmarsh, are integral to the health of aquatic environments.
The impact of past developments, and the risk of rising sea levels, makes shoreline restoration a major priority.
The concept of ‘living shorelines’ is strongly promoted. It emphasises the use of natural systems, rather than relying solely on constructed infrastructure, to provide cost-effective physical protection as well as ecosystem enhancement.
Restoring shorelines, shellfish and seagrass in the Port River and Barker Inlet will improve the ecological condition of the river and estuary through a:
• Stronger foundation to foodwebs
• Seafloor and shoreline stabilisation
• Improved water quality