Welcome to Roebuck Bay Working Group (RBWG)
Seagrass Watch Training
10-12 September, 2010
Free Community Workshop, training participants in seagrass biology, ecology, identification and monitoring.
Participants will venture on to Roebuck Bay's mudflats to practice monitoring a site using the methods of Seagrass Watch, the world's largest scientific seagrass monitoring and assessment program.
Visit Seagrass Watch or email:
Our vision:
RECOGNISING that Roebuck Bay was without management plans to protect its high values into the future, the Roebuck Bay Working Group (RBWG) formed in Broome in 2004 with the objective of developing a values based community driven planning process to protect, restore and maintain the catchment into the future. The RBWG, which is a not-for-profit community based group of 45 members, won a State Coastal Award in 2007.
With a strong emphasis on partnerships, the RBWG works with landholders, community groups, non-government organisations, industry, the Australian Government, Government of WA and local government to develop management plans and affect change 'on-ground' to protect, restore and maintain Roebuck Bay.
Environmental Values
DECLARED a Ramsar site in 1990, Roebuck Bay is of international importance for at least 20 species of migratory shorebirds and as a site in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Roebuck Bay is a tropical marine embayment with extensive and highly biologically diverse intertidal mudflats. Dugongs, Green turtles and rare Snubfin dolphins regularly feed on the extensive seagrass meadows in Roebuck Bay. Roebuck Bay is also a major nursery for marine fishes and crustaceans and supports an exceptionally high diversity of benthic invertebrates (est. between 300 – 500 species), placing it amongst the most diverse mudflats in the world. Indeed, Roebuck Bay's tidal range is so large, it exposes a staggering 160 km² of mudflats, with tides travelling at up to 20cm/sec mid cycle.
Indigenous values
YAWURU Traditional Owners have been aware of the incredible richness of the waters and mudlfats of Roebuck Bay for thousands of years, with the bay integral to their cultural, spiritual, social and economic life.
Yawuru Tradition Owner Neil McKenzie and Tanya Vernes, presenting to a Western Australian coastal conference on behalf of the RBWG in 2005 captured this diversity of values as follows: "Roebuck Bay means many things to many people – to some it's an ancestral home to which they have continuing responsibilities; a place to hunt, fish and collect shellfish; to others its importance lies in its status as one of the most important migratory shorebird sites in Australia. For many people it is simply a place to relax and unwind; for others it's a place from which to earn a living: from fishing, hovercraft rides, pearl farming and shipping."
Yawuru Traditional Owners have been members of the RBWG since its inception.
Commercial values
As ONE of only two deep water ports in the Kimberley region, Roebuck Bay is an important contributor to the financial viability of the area. Historically Broome's commercial development has been directly dependent on the pearling industry, however port trade is now dominated by oil and gas exploration supply vessels, cruise vessel tourism, livestock export, commercial pearling and fishing and fuel imports for the growing region.
Environmental values
DECLARED a Ramsar site in 1990, Roebuck Bay is internationally important for at least 20 species of migratory shorebirds and as an internationally important site in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Roebuck Bay is a tropical marine embayment with extensive and highly biologically diverse intertidal mudflats. Dugongs and Green turtles regularly feed on the extensive seagrass meadows in Roebuck Bay, before setting of on their migrations. Roebuck Bay is also a major nursery area for marine fishes and crustaceans and supports an exceptionally high diversity of benthic invertebrates (est. between 300 – 500 species), placing it amongst the most diverse mudflats in the world. Indeed, Roebuck Bay's tidal range is so large, it exposes a staggering 160 km2 of mudflats, with tides travelling at up to 20cm/sec mid cycle.
Community Values
Bounded to the north-west by the township of Broome and Sandy Point to the south, Roebuck Bay is important in the recreational life of residents and visitors as a favourite place to go fishing, birdwatching or to relax and unwind.