St Kilda Mangrove and Saltmarsh monitoring

Tidal wetlands (mangroves and Commonwealth EPBC Act protected saltmarshes) surrounding the St Kilda Mangrove Boardwalk have been adversely affected since mid 2020. the suspected cause is the nearby decommissioned gypsum ponds were filled with hyper-saline brines. Gypsum, lining the old ponds, is suspected to have degraded after sitting empty for seven years. It appears the ponds are leaking and mobilising acidic materials from underneath the gypsum crust. There appears to be no effort to undertake to monitor the area or efforts to mitigate any effects of the salt fields.