Yehuda Ben-Hamo, an MAS Marine Biodiversity and Conservation student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, recently journeyed to Tasmania, Australia, with support from the Julia R. Brown Fund for Climate Change Research and Education. In this post, Yehuda shares key insights from his fieldwork, which focused on ecological monitoring and quantifying the multiple benefits of restored coastal wetlands as effective nature-based climate solutions.
In 2025, with generous support from the Julia R. Brown (JRB) Fund for Climate Change Research and Education, I had the unique opportunity to travel to Australia and support researchers from the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in surveying and monitoring some of the country’s first and largest federally funded blue carbon restoration and climate adaptation projects.
Australia’s mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses—collectively known as blue carbon ecosystems—sequester and store more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth, including tropical rainforests. These coastal habitats hold the highest blue carbon value globally, delivering over $23 billion in annual climate benefits by capturing vast amounts of CO₂—equivalent to the annual electricity emissions of every household in the U.S., EU, India, and China combined. Each year, they continue to remove carbon from the atmosphere at a rate equal to the emissions of 5.5 million cars.
Yet, these ecosystems are under threat—nearly 2% are lost each year due to human impacts. While restoration efforts are growing, identifying scalable, cost-effective strategies—and ways to monitor their outcomes—remains a major challenge.
Tasmania, home to some of Australia’s most valuable carbon sinks, hosts large-scale projects such as the hydrological restoration of Richmond Park Floodplain, a key site within the Pitt Water–Orielton Lagoon, a Ramsar-listed wetland of global importance. I joined UTAS and project partners like Blue Carbon Services (BCS), NRM South, and the University of Newcastle (UON) to conduct surveys and apply new monitoring approaches aimed at quantifying ecological outcomes at this and other Ramsar-listed wetlands—helping build a better understanding of the flow-on benefits of restoration at a landscape scale.
These projects—supported by the Australian Government’s Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants—aim to enhance coastal ecosystems not only by maximizing carbon capture and storage but also by restoring tidal exchange, reestablishing native vegetation, and increasing fish and wildlife presence in degraded habitats.
My work focused on conducting ecological assessments and identifying scalable, cost-effective methods for monitoring recovery—particularly in relation to fisheries, vegetation, and carbon storage. One of the most exciting components involved piloting imaging sonar (IS) as an emerging, non-invasive tool for surveying fish use, abundance, and behavior in shallow, turbid tidal marshes where traditional survey methods often fall short. To support this, I conducted a systematic qualitative literature review (SQLR), drawing insights to develop a methodology and workflow protocol for fish enumeration using IS in restored tidal marshes. Working alongside UON researchers, this became the first standardized protocol of its kind in Australia and will be used in future blue carbon projects. It outlines procedures for deployment and post-processing, including how to reduce observational bias, count and track fish, and identify behavior and body shape. I also explored the potential for integrating machine learning tools to automate detection and reduce staff time, increasing the feasibility of this method for broader application.
In addition, I expanded my skills by learning essential field techniques for vegetation and wildlife assessments—tools I will undoubtedly continue to use in my career. These surveys built on baseline data to quantify changes before and after restoration, supporting the overall understanding of ecosystem response and the valuation of improved services. I also had the opportunity to join community partners such as the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre for Country to honor the traditional custodians of the land—the Palawa people—and to share and learn from Traditional Ecological Knowledge that continues to guide stewardship of these coastal landscapes. I was especially fortunate to help test experimental methods using biodegradable hessian cloth layered with sugarcane mulch, which showed promising results: previously barren plots saw up to 80% native plant regrowth within just a few years—an exciting, low-cost strategy for community-driven restoration.
This project not only deepened my knowledge and skill set in climate adaptation and mitigation but also contributed real-world data and solutions to help de-risk nature repair on a national scale. One of my final deliverables was a policy document synthesizing field insights and research findings to support Australia’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP Project 4.10): De-risking Nature Repair—funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)—to guide future investments in coastal restoration and inform blue carbon assessments and management efforts across the country.
Restoring these coastal wetlands enhances tidal exchange and strengthens climate resilience by improving their capacity to sequester and store carbon, buffer against storm surges, flooding, and sea-level rise, and support biodiversity. These efforts also restore critical ecosystem services that provide significant economic and recreational value—ranging from healthier fisheries to improved water quality and increased opportunities for nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation.
It was an incredible privilege to work alongside and learn from a diverse group of experts—ultimately unlocking skill sets I didn’t know I was capable of. I’m sincerely grateful to the JRB Fund for making this opportunity possible and supporting my growth as a conservation leader. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Blog content and images provided by Yehuda Ben-Hamo – thank you!