IMPACTS OF RIVER NUTRIENTS ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF LAGOON. While salinity was one of the first properties of the ocean to be studied, it is one of the last to be measured by remote sensing. A prototype air borne salinity mapper will be used in this project along with an airborne multi-spectral sampler to develop a new approach to the study of river plumes. The salinity and nutrient densities will be traced to determine the destination of river runoff. Outcomes will assist the management of ....IMPACTS OF RIVER NUTRIENTS ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF LAGOON. While salinity was one of the first properties of the ocean to be studied, it is one of the last to be measured by remote sensing. A prototype air borne salinity mapper will be used in this project along with an airborne multi-spectral sampler to develop a new approach to the study of river plumes. The salinity and nutrient densities will be traced to determine the destination of river runoff. Outcomes will assist the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and land management near the coast, and will improve our understanding of the carbon sink in coastal waters.Read moreRead less
Innovative systematic conservation planning for Indigenous Land and Sea Country: Torres Strait as a case study. Australia’s Indigenous communities have responsibilities for managing their Land and Sea Country in partnership with governments. Much of Australia’s globally significant biodiversity occurs in Indigenous country. Effective management requires plans to be developed using both western science and Traditional Knowledge to enable local communities to protect both their culture and biodive ....Innovative systematic conservation planning for Indigenous Land and Sea Country: Torres Strait as a case study. Australia’s Indigenous communities have responsibilities for managing their Land and Sea Country in partnership with governments. Much of Australia’s globally significant biodiversity occurs in Indigenous country. Effective management requires plans to be developed using both western science and Traditional Knowledge to enable local communities to protect both their culture and biodiversity. This project will develop innovative scientific tools to assist Indigenous communities and governments to design and implement systematic conservation planning initiatives ‘on country’, using Torres Strait as a case study. The tools that are developed will have general relevance to Australian Indigenous communities and developing countries. Read moreRead less
Marine conservation planning for persistent coral reef communities: Incorporating connectivity and resilience. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. However, despite substantial efforts to conserve marine ecosystems, Australian coral reefs are at increasing risk from climate change related catastrophes. To counteract this trend, we must choose marine reserve networ ....Marine conservation planning for persistent coral reef communities: Incorporating connectivity and resilience. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. However, despite substantial efforts to conserve marine ecosystems, Australian coral reefs are at increasing risk from climate change related catastrophes. To counteract this trend, we must choose marine reserve networks using methods that account for the dynamic nature of climate change and reef community responses to maximise the persistence of reef biodiversity. The new theory and methods will enable us to create more effective and economically efficient marine reserve systems.Read moreRead less
Measuring the flushing time of waters in the Great Barrier Reef. There are concerns both in the scientific community and in the general public about the possible implications of agricultural runoff to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Due to this, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has developed a "Reef Water Quality Protection Plan" (RWQPP) which may have significant economic implications to the grazing, sugar, and other primary industries. In order to protect the GBR, whilst also minimiz ....Measuring the flushing time of waters in the Great Barrier Reef. There are concerns both in the scientific community and in the general public about the possible implications of agricultural runoff to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Due to this, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has developed a "Reef Water Quality Protection Plan" (RWQPP) which may have significant economic implications to the grazing, sugar, and other primary industries. In order to protect the GBR, whilst also minimizing the impacts on agricultural industries, it is important to understand the processes that affect the buildup and broad-scale dispersion of contaminants in the GBR. This project will facilitate that understanding.Read moreRead less
Coral reef connectivity: an empirical and theoretical synthesis. Australia possesses the greatest marine biodiversity of any first world country and this biodiversity is a major contributor to our economic wealth. Nonetheless, Australia's coral reef communities are threatened by various human activities and climate change. Wisely designed systems of marine reserves are critical to mitigating threats to coral reefs, but existing approaches do not incorporate crucial information about ecological c ....Coral reef connectivity: an empirical and theoretical synthesis. Australia possesses the greatest marine biodiversity of any first world country and this biodiversity is a major contributor to our economic wealth. Nonetheless, Australia's coral reef communities are threatened by various human activities and climate change. Wisely designed systems of marine reserves are critical to mitigating threats to coral reefs, but existing approaches do not incorporate crucial information about ecological connections between reefs. We will use graph theory metrics to identify priority reefs for protection based on empirical genetic and hydrological connectivity information. In addition, we will determine the sensitivity of these priorities to climate change scenarios.Read moreRead less
Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This informatio ....Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This information will underpin the future management of conservation and will improve understanding on issues such as how and why species are able to invade new areas, the effects on the resident species and how species change distribution in relation to the availability of specific needs for habitat.Read moreRead less
Marine Reserves as Fisheries Management Tools: A Long-term, Experimental Approach. Marine reserves, areas permanently closed to fishing, are potentially valuable fisheries management tools. Reserves may sustain fisheries external to them by containing undisturbed breeding stocks and becoming net exporters of adults and propagules. Our studies in the Philippines suggest that such benefits may only eventuate after 5-15 years of effective protection. This project will continue our long-term (17-25 ....Marine Reserves as Fisheries Management Tools: A Long-term, Experimental Approach. Marine reserves, areas permanently closed to fishing, are potentially valuable fisheries management tools. Reserves may sustain fisheries external to them by containing undisturbed breeding stocks and becoming net exporters of adults and propagules. Our studies in the Philippines suggest that such benefits may only eventuate after 5-15 years of effective protection. This project will continue our long-term (17-25 year) studies of abundance and yield at 3 established reserves, and use a replicated experiment at 3 new reserves, to test if reserves can enhance local fish biomass and catch. We will also compare effects of reserves in Australia and the Philippines.Read moreRead less
Conservation planning: incorporating patch dynamics and climate change to achieve better outcomes. This research will make significant contributions to planning for An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include guidelines for including, for the first time, the patch dynamics of coral bleaching and pelagic productivity in conservation planning. By using an Australian icon, the Great Barrier Reef, as the case study for this research, the findings will be directly applicable a ....Conservation planning: incorporating patch dynamics and climate change to achieve better outcomes. This research will make significant contributions to planning for An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include guidelines for including, for the first time, the patch dynamics of coral bleaching and pelagic productivity in conservation planning. By using an Australian icon, the Great Barrier Reef, as the case study for this research, the findings will be directly applicable and implementable. Furthermore, this study will result in an understanding of the potential effect of climate change on patch dynamics, and will provide guidelines and theory for planning for such changes. This research will enable Australia to effectively protect its biodiversity and to relate this knowledge to its neighbours.Read moreRead less
Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the deve ....Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the development of better strategies to manage their impacts. The project will also build Australia's wider capacity to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases.Read moreRead less
Orientation in the pelagic environment: how do larval marine fish find their way home? This study will determine what senses tiny fish larvae use to orientate in the ocean and to influence where currents disperse them. Because larval dispersal determines the spatial extent of fish populations, this knowledge is important for management of marine fisheries and the design and operation of marine parks.