The stories of the Baludarri

What are the stories of the Baludarri?

How has the Baludarri come to be?

How are we connected to the Baludarri?

How can we explore our connections to the Baludarri?

I am hosted in the school of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) at UNSW Sydney. My research partner is Dr Laura Parker, an Indigenous scientist who has focused her career on the impacts of climate change on marine molluscs, particularly the Baludarri. Working in collaboration with industry, Laura’s research is providing solutions to prevent the loss of the Baludarri which is vital to the health of marine and estuarine ecosystems, a major source of protein for nations around the globe and a cultural link for Indigenous Australians to their traditional lands.

While most people think of the Baludarri as a sedentary animal which sits on a rock and does not change, during its early life the Baludarri swims around in the water column changing its shape multiple times before selecting an appropriate spot to settle on and stay for the rest of its life. During this ‘early-life history’, they are visually beautiful, extremely fragile and can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.

 Sarah Jane