Widespread global declines in shellfish reefs (ecosystem-forming bivalves such as oysters and mussels) have led to growing interest in their restoration and protection. With restoration projects now occurring on four continents and in at least seven countries, global restoration guidelines for these ecosystems have been developed based on experience over the past two decades. The following key elements of the guidelines are outlined: (a) the case for shellfish reef restoration and securing financial resources; (b) planning, feasibility, and goal setting; (c) biosecurity and permitting; (d) restoration in practice; (e) scaling up from pilot to larger scale restoration, (f) monitoring, (g) restoration beyond oyster reefs (specifically mussels), and (h) successful communication for shellfish reef restoration projects.
Achieving a sustainable socioecological future now requires large‐scale environmental repair across legislative borders. Yet, enabling large‐scale conservation is complicated by policy‐making processes that are disconnected from socioeconomic interests, multiple sources of knowledge, and differing applications of policy. We considered how a multidisciplinary approach to marine habitat restoration generated the scientific evidence base, community support, and funding needed to begin the restoration of a forgotten, functionally extinct shellfish reef ecosystem. The key actors came together as a multidisciplinary community of researchers, conservation practitioners, recreational fisher communities, and government bodies that collaborated across sectors to rediscover Australia's lost shellfish reefs and communicate the value of its restoration. Actions undertaken to build a case for large‐scale marine restoration included synthesizing current knowledge on Australian shellfish reefs and their historical decline, using this history to tell a compelling story to spark public and political interest, integrating restoration into government policy, and rallying local support through community engagement. Clearly articulating the social, economic, and environmental business case for restoration led to state and national funding for reef restoration to meet diverse sustainability goals (e.g., enhanced biodiversity and fisheries productivity) and socioeconomic goals (e.g., job creation and recreational opportunities). A key lesson learned was the importance of aligning project goals with public and industry interests so that projects could address multiple political obligations. This process culminated in Australia's largest marine restoration initiative and shows that solutions for large‐scale ecosystem repair can rapidly occur when socially valued science acts on political opportunities.
Shellfish reefs are one of the most depleted marine ecosystems in the world, and there is considerable interest and efforts to restore the ecosystems. When degraded reefs require the addition of new substrate to support oyster re-establishment, recycled shells can be used to rebuild new reef bases. Shell recycling as a means of procuring shells was first introduced in Australia by The Nature Conservancy in 2015, through the establishment of the 'Shuck Don't Chuck' Shell Recycling Project in Victoria. The recycling project was first piloted in the regional city of Geelong with the aim of providing sufficient quantity of clean, recycled shell to support reef base construction for shellfish reef restoration in Port Phillip Bay. The project has subsequently expanded into markets and restaurants in Melbourne. Community involvement and restoration promotion are important secondary outcomes of the programme. We provide lessons from our experience to date and a step-bystep guide of how to establish a shell recycling project from initial pilot and trial stages to a full programme. These steps include the following: (i) recruitment of shell recycling partners, (ii) transport and logistics, (iii) shell storage sites, (iv) biosecurity and curing protocols, (v) hatchery use, (vi) reef deployment, and (vii) community engagement. Shell recycling is an effective way to not only source substrate for restoring shellfish reefs, but also to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and should be considered as part of any shellfish reef restoration project which utilises shell products.
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