Middle Holocene Oyster Shells and the Shifting Role of History in Ecological Restoration: How a Dynamic Past Informs Shellfish Ecosystem Reconstruction at an Australian Urban Estuary
This study examines Middle Holocene oyster shell assemblages at Western Australia’s Swan–Canning Estuary, revealing how historical ecology, Indigenous knowledge and extensive environmental change inform modern shellfish ecosystem restoration and guide reconstruction efforts in a major urban estuary.
Subject Tags
- Coastal
- Habitat restoration
Abstract
At Western Australia's Swan-Canning Estuary, extensive subfossil shellfish assemblages of Middle Holocene origin were largely destroyed through dredging for cement production in the first half of the twentieth century. This case-study of an extractive industry driving shellfish ecosystem decline builds on existing historical studies of commercial over-harvesting of oysters, and historical and paleo-ecological investigations of sustainable, long-term indigenous oyster harvests, presenting an important new perspective on global shellfish ecosystem decline and the enduring cultural value of shellfish resources by revealing processes of cross-cultural knowledge transfer, unfolding environmental understanding and extensive environmental change across Western Australia's post-European settlement history. We explore these histories in detail for the first time, before considering their relevance to a shellfish ecosystem reconstruction initiative currently underway at this major Australian urban estuary.
Citation
Christensen, J., Martin, D. J., Bossie, A., & Valesini, F. (2023). Middle Holocene oyster shells and the shifting role of history in ecological restoration: how a dynamic past informs shellfish ecosystem reconstruction at an Australian urban estuary. Global Environment, 16(3), 414-448.
TNC Authors
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Andrew Bossie
The Nature Conservancy
Email: andrew.bossie@TNC.ORG -
Fiona Valesini
The Nature Conservancy