Pioneering seagrass transplantation techniques, Geoffrey Bastyan restored a degraded marine environment to health – and taught countless others how to do the same.
After monitoring Albany’s Oyster Harbour and Princess Royal Harbour in the 1970s, Geoffrey found almost all the seagrass in these areas had disappeared. In its place, green algae had built up and marine biodiversity was low.
The marine scientist discovered how to transplant seagrass to these areas, then enlisted community members to help revive these vital ecosystems. Since 1994, Geoffrey has invested his own time, money and resources to transplant two species of seagrass, restoring hectares of seagrass meadows. Geoff’s seagrass and fish monitoring program was adopted as part of Great Southern Grammar School's science curriculum and by other local schools.
Geoff’s work has been recognised with the Southseas Oceans Hero Award at Oceans Community 2014 and the Great Southern Development Commission Medal 2016.