tide times

This deck was created in Magandjin (Brisbane), on Jagera/Yuggera and Turrbal Country.  I acknowledge the Elders and knowledge keepers of land and waters across the east coast of Australia, who shared their experiences as part of the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network annual meeting, including Traditional Owners from Jagera/Yuggera and Turrbal Country, Kabi Kabi Country, Koinmerburra Country, Quandamooka Country and Yidinji Country. I honour their deep and continuing connections to Country and Sea Country.

tide times is a deck of intertidal divination cards created in collaboration with the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network. Each card represents an organism or process related to tidal wetland habitats in Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean), along with associated stories about survival, diversity, adaptation, and connections within these dynamic marine shoreline habitats.

With daily water level fluctuations, intertidal organisms face extreme environmental changes including rapid shifts in temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, food availability, and predation risk. Despite such challenges, tidal wetlands often serve as biodiversity hotspots with a high density of species that have adapted to, and find refuge in, these vital habitats. They are also an important link between land and sea, providing a source of food for many birds, fish, and invertebrates, protection from storms and erosion, and functioning as crucial carbon storage.

Tidal wetlands hold significant cultural, spiritual, and practical importance for many indigenous communities across Australasia.  However, since colonial invasion human activities have increasingly exerted pressure on intertidal zones through pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, and over-exploitation, significantly impacting their delicate ecological balance.

tide times was developed through listening to the experiences of attendees at the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network annual meeting in 2024, Connecting for coastal co-becoming: people working with nature in the intertidal. The meeting brought together Traditional Owners, researchers, coastal managers, industry representatives, and members of community groups who work across the wetland mosaic and who care about intertidal spaces. This guidebook provides interpretations of the tide times cards, offering insights from AMSN members and from the ever-changing conditions of the intertidal wetlands on navigating challenges, relationships, and belonging in a precarious world.