NESP MaC Project 5.15 - National assessment of harmful algal bloom preparedness and future needs (UTS)
Updated: 2026-10-26
This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Emerging Priorities project "National assessment of harmful algal bloom preparedness and future needs". No data outputs are planned for this project. -------------------- The 2025 South Australian harmful algal bloom (HAB) highlighted major gaps in Australia’s preparedness for large-scale marine HAB events, including limitations in surveillance capability, forecasting systems, coordination arrangements and long-term response planning. While HABs are not new to Australia, the scale, duration and ecological impacts of the South Australian event demonstrated the need for a broader national assessment of HAB science capability and policy readiness. This project will review Australia’s current capability for HAB surveillance, forecasting, response and management across environmental and seafood-safety domains. It will examine existing monitoring systems, research capability, early-warning approaches, coordination arrangements and operational policy settings across Commonwealth, state and territory jurisdictions. The review will consider lessons from the South Australian bloom alongside national and international approaches to HAB preparedness and management, including monitoring technologies, forecasting systems and risk mitigation strategies. It will also consider relevant recommendations from the Australian Senate inquiry into the South Australian algal bloom and broader national policy frameworks, including the draft Sustainable Ocean Plan. Project outputs will include an assessment of current national HAB capability, identification of critical knowledge and operational gaps, and recommendations for improving HAB preparedness, surveillance, forecasting, coordination and response capacity in Australia. Outputs • Final technical report [written]
Data
- Project page on NESP Marine and Coastal Hub website
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: NESP MaC Hub website
- Full metadata link
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- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- {"title":"National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal (MaC) Hub - Funding Program 2021-2027","recordAbstract":"This metadata record provides a brief overview of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal (MaC) Hub. The record acts as an aggregation point for all NESP Marine and Coastal Hub data collections and projects developed as part of this research program.\n\nThe National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a long-term commitment by the Australian Government to environment and climate research. The first phase invested $145 million (2014-15 to 2020-21) into 6 research hubs. The second phase invests $149 million (2020-21 to 2026-27) into 4 new research hubs. The program builds on its predecessors – the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme (ACCSP) – to support decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia’s environment by funding world-class biodiversity and climate science.\n\nThe Marine and Coastal Hub is a collaborative partnership supported by funding from the Australian Government administered by the Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy and Water (DCCEEW) - previously Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE). The current NESP funding program runs from 2021 to 2027. The Marine and Coastal Hub is co-administered by the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC).\n\nThe Marine and Coastal Hub delivers:\n • applied research to support management of Australia’s marine and coastal environments including estuaries, coast, reefs, shelf and deep-water\n • targeted biodiversity and taxonomy products to support efficient system monitoring\n • environmental monitoring systems and decision-support tools.\n\nResearch products from the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub are available from https://nespmarinecoastal.edu.au and the Australian Ocean Data Network catalogue (http://catalogue.aodn.org.au)"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.25 - Modelling adult abundance and habitat distribution of Maugean skate (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 Emerging Priorities project \"Modelling adult abundance and habitat distribution of Maugean skate\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is listed as Endangered under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The species has one of the most restricted distributions of any extant elasmobranch, having only been recorded in Macquarie Harbour and Bathurst Harbour in western Tasmania. The Macquarie Harbour population is small (~3,000 individuals) and exposed to ongoing environmental pressures, making robust population assessment and habitat monitoring a high conservation priority.\n\nThis project investigated Close Kin Mark Recapture (CKMR) as a priority method for estimating historical abundance and supporting long-term monitoring of Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour, as identified in the species’ Roadmap of Agreed Actions and 2023 Conservation Advice. CKMR uses next-generation sequencing to identify close relatives among sampled individuals and model breeding population size, adult survival and population trends.\n\nA second project component modelled the distribution of critical Maugean skate habitat in relation to dissolved oxygen, temperature and depth. Telemetry data from tagged skates were combined with biophysical harbour models and habitat selection modelling to generate potential habitat maps for a 2017-18 hindcast period and forecast scenarios based on recent and evolving water-quality conditions. These maps were assessed against existing knowledge of skate habitat to identify critical areas within Macquarie Harbour and inform future spatial and temporal sampling strategies.\n\nProject outputs include independent population-assessment methods and hindcast/forecast habitat suitability maps for Macquarie Harbour. These outputs support conservation decision-making, evaluation of remediation scenarios, identification of critical habitat areas, and future monitoring and sampling design.\n\nOutputs\n• High-quality DNA sequences of Maugean skate [sequencing data]\n• Hindcast maps (2017-18) of potential Maugean skate occupation [spatial data]\n• Recent and forecast (evolving) maps of potential Maugean skate occupation under different management scenarios [spatial data]\n• Estimates of spawning stock abundance of the Maugean skate from CKMR analysis [data contained in written report]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.11 - OzSET: Integration and publication of the Australian Surface Elevation Table dataset, 2021-2022 (Macquarie Uni, UQ)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"OzSET: Integration and publication of the Australian Surface Elevation Table dataset\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralia’s coastal floodplains and wetlands provide essential ecosystem services and have immense cultural value. They regulate water quality, moderate flood and storm damage, and provide habitat for marine life including commercial fish and shellfish species. These environments are threatened by accelerating rates of sea-level rise. A national approach is needed to monitor and assess the way coastal floodplains and wetlands are changing in response to sea level rise.\n\nA useful measure of resilience is the extent to which coastal wetland sediments can accrete vertically at a rate matching that of sea-level rise. Assessing the resilience, or vulnerability, of these environments requires measurements of rates of vertical accretion, subsidence and elevation gain across a range of coastal settings. The Surface Elevation Table-Marker Horizon (SET-MH) technique measures the vertical accretion of coastal wetland sediments. This enables assessment of whether wetlands are keeping pace with sea level rise (measured at tide gauges), or subsiding relative to local sea level rise and thus vulnerable to permanent inundation and loss. \n\nAustralia’s network of Surface Elevation Tables is one of the most extensive in the world, consisting of over 200 benchmark monitoring stations from Westernport Bay, Victoria to Darwin Harbour, NT. The network has developed largely without national coordination, and the data gathered have not been readily available to the research community or research users.\n\nThis project collated SET data on accretion, subsidence and elevation change in mangroves, saltmarshes, seagrasses and tidal freshwater forests, and provides an initial analysis of accretion and surface elevation trends. This information is vital to coastal risk assessment, estimating blue carbon sequestration, and modelling potential predicted changes in other ecosystem services.\n\nOutputs\n• Collation of data from existing Surface Elevation Table (SET-MH) stations [dataset]\n• Final Technical Report"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.9 - Quantifying the ecosystem services of the Great Southern Reef, 2021-2022 (UNSW, IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Quantifying the ecosystem services of the Great Southern Reef\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe Great Southern Reef (GSR) is an 8,000 km network of temperate rocky reefs stretching from Western Australia to New South Wales. Dominated by kelp forests, it is one of the world’s most biodiverse and productive marine ecosystems, supporting important fisheries, tourism, cultural values, and ecological functions. Despite its significance, kelp forests are in decline due to ocean warming, marine heatwaves, pollution, and expanding herbivore populations—threatening both biodiversity and the services these reefs provide. Evidence-based management is hindered without accurate estimates of the GSR's contribution to society and the economy.\n\nThis project delivered the first systematic synthesis of existing data on the ecosystem services and economic value of the GSR, focusing on shallow reefs (0–50 m). Market and non-market services—such as commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, carbon sequestration, and existence value—were assessed for each state in which the GSR occurs. The synthesis highlighted the high societal dependence on the GSR, with over 17 million Australians living within 50 km of its waters and significant national engagement in related economic and cultural activities.\n\nAll data inventoried by the project were aligned with national and international environmental-economic accounting standards to support future inclusion in Australia’s ocean accounting frameworks. This inventory provides the foundation for developing a national ocean account for kelp forests, and identifies the key data gaps that must be addressed to fully capture the GSR’s value and guide long-term policy and investment.\n\n\nOutputs\n• Inventory of data collated and assessed for the purpose of developing ecosystem accounts for GSR\n• Final technical report with analysed data, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings (written)"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.33 - Application of environmental DNA to survey Bathurst Harbour Tasmania for the endangered Maugean skate, 2021-2022 (IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub emerging priorities study - \"Application of environmental DNA to survey Bathurst Harbour Tasmania for the endangered Maugean skate\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is listed as Endangered under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Its known population is small (~3,000 individuals, Macquarie Harbour, 2016) and highly restricted, having only been recorded in two isolated estuaries: Bathurst Harbour and Macquarie Harbour in south-western/western Tasmania. This constitutes one of the most limited distributions of any known extant elasmobranch. \n\nAlthough the skate was first discovered in Bathurst Harbour, most knowledge of the species stems from the Macquarie Harbour population. Only four individuals have been reported in Bathurst Harbour, with the last reported sighting in 1992. Environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour have changed markedly since then due to anthropogenic activities in and around the estuary including historical mining, hydro-electric generation and alteration of natural river flows, and marine fish farming.\n\nPrevious research has shown clear signs of population stress and evidence of detrimental impacts of degraded environmental conditions on the Maugean Skate in Macquarie Harbour. Understanding the potential population status of the Maugean Skate in Bathurst Harbour will assist in determining conservation actions. This study used Environmental (e) DNA to determine the presence/absence of Maugean skate in Bathurst Harbour, strengthening the evidence base for effective conservation plans and specific recovery actions.\n\nOutputs\n• Maugean skate eDNA sampling data and inferred species distribution (presence/absence) [dataset]\n• Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.7 - Development of regional modelling and risk assessments to inform offshore renewable decision-making, 2024-2027 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Development of regional modelling and risk assessments to inform offshore renewable decision-making\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralia is entering a phase of rapid offshore renewable energy (ORE) development, particularly in eastern and south-eastern waters. In considering the environmental acceptability of wind energy projects under the EPBC Act and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure framework, methods are required to evaluate cumulative risks to listed species, Australian Marine Parks and other natural values, including risks that arise from construction, operation, decommissioning, climate change and existing human pressures.\n\nThis project used quantitative modelling approaches to assess potential impacts and cumulative risks associated with offshore renewable energy infrastructure in the Gippsland declared region. Twelve impact pathways identified by DCCEEW were used to structure problem formulation, risk hypotheses, modelling and assessment, with priority species and associated data needs identified in consultation with DCCEEW and NOPSEMA.\n\nThe project applied two linked modelling approaches: species-specific population models and whole-of-ecosystem modelling. Population models estimated exposure and potential effects for priority threatened and migratory species across breeding, overwintering, foraging and migration areas, including risks such as collision, underwater noise, electromagnetic fields, vessel interactions, displacement and attraction. Whole-of-ecosystem modelling assessed broader ecological pathways, including hydrodynamics, sediment transport, benthic habitat effects, displacement of fishing activity, trophic effects around infrastructure, and cumulative interactions with climate change.\n\nScenario analyses were used to explore how risks varied with the timing, number, location and configuration of offshore renewable energy developments. Model outputs were used to assess the cumulative risks to key species and natural values, and supported evaluation of mitigation options such as infrastructure placement, construction timing, operational constraints and post-assessment monitoring.\n\nThe project outputs provide regulators and conservation managers with a modelling framework for assessing ORE-related cumulative impacts, identifying monitoring requirements, prioritising future research, and support evidence-based decisions on risk acceptability and management under relevant environmental legislation.\n\nOutputs\n• Species-specific population models for key threatened and migratory species for the Gippsland ORE region [spatial outputs]\n• Outputs from Whole of Ecosystem (WoE) modelling [risk-based impact spatial outputs]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.3 - Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation, 2022-2023 (CSIRO, IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralia’s network of Commonwealth Marine Parks plays a central role in conserving marine biodiversity, supporting sustainable use, and protecting cultural and recreational values. With over 60 parks spanning diverse habitats - from shallow coastal areas to deep offshore canyons - effective and adaptive management depends on access to reliable, fit-for-purpose data and data products that reflect the condition of park values and the pressures acting upon them.\n\nThis project improved the capacity to assess the effectiveness of Australian Marine Park (AMP) management by identifying and evaluating priority data and data products required for characterising marine systems and management effectiveness. It worked closely with Parks Australia to assess the availability, quality, and delivery mechanisms of existing datasets, and determined whether these were operationally viable, maintainable over time, and aligned with FAIR data principles. Technical assessments considered consistency of formats, use of standardised vocabularies, as well as machine-readability and the use of national standards for data and collection methodologies.\n\nUsing available data, knowledge, and existing data infrastructure, the project developed methods for estimating the condition of AMP values (excluding cultural values) and for assessing management effectiveness. Recommendations were provided to improve the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of priority data products through national platforms.\n\nOutcomes of the project include a clearer understanding of existing data gaps and a practical foundation for improving future AMP assessments. Parks Australia was equipped with a structured assessment of current data suitability and availability, a demonstration of condition estimation methods, and strategic recommendations to enhance data delivery and alignment with park management cycles. This work directly contributes to the Marine and Coastal Hub’s Protected Place Management Initiative and supports national efforts to build integrated data systems for marine estate monitoring and reporting.\n\nOutputs\n• Documented data and data product priorities organised in one or more data product hierarchies including monitoring priorities and their indicators where appropriate [written]\n• A fit for purpose assessment of priority data products [written]\n• Methods for estimating current condition status of AMP values [written]\n• Recommendations for how to progress priority data sets that do not currently meet the established criteria but are required for characterising, protecting, and assessing current condition status of AMP values [written]\n• Final project report [written]\n• Ad-hoc data products generated through this project's data fitness-for-purpose exercise - see linked 'child' records"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.7 - Towards a consolidated and open-science framework for restoration monitoring, 2021-2022 (Griffith Uni, NSW DPI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Towards a consolidated and open-science framework for restoration monitoring\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nCoastal habitat restoration is scaling up rapidly in Australia and covers a range of diverse ecosystems including oyster reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, kelp forests, and saltmarshes. While monitoring is commonly included in these projects, approaches are often uncoordinated, inconsistently funded, and rarely follow open science protocols.\n\nPrevious NESP-funded projects have advanced understanding of the ecology and service provision of threatened ecosystems and established targets for repair based on reference conditions (e.g. Marine Biodiversity Hub project B4). They also created a national database of marine and coastal restoration projects (Australian Coastal Restoration Network: project E5) and supported the development of monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI) systems across various sectors. Building on this foundation, the current project synthesised monitoring approaches across multiple habitat types by drawing on the collective expertise of Australian researchers. It also explored the integration of emerging technologies—such as automation, artificial intelligence, and eDNA—to improve monitoring efficiency and cost-effectiveness.\n\nThe primary output of this project is a coordinated, open-science monitoring framework that incorporates clearly defined restoration goals and a core set of universal variables. Developed through expert consultation, the framework supports consistent benchmarking across projects while accommodating habitat-specific and goal-driven metrics. The framework promotes data accessibility, standardised definitions, and the integration of new technologies to streamline the development of future restoration projects and maximise the value of restoration monitoring.\n\nOutputs\n• Best-practice toolkit / final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.14 - Learning from the field: a rapid assessment of the composition and ecotoxicology of the harmful algal bloom in South Australia (Adelaide Uni, UTS, IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Emerging Priorities project \"Learning from the field: a rapid assessment of the composition and ecotoxicology of the harmful algal bloom in South Australia\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nA severe harmful algal bloom (HAB) involving Karenia species has affected large areas of the South Australian coastline, including Gulf St Vincent, Spencer Gulf and Investigator Strait. The species composition, toxicity and ecological impact pathways of the bloom remain poorly understood, limiting the ability of agencies to respond to ongoing and future bloom events.\n\nThis Emerging Priorities project will conduct a rapid investigation of the composition, toxicity and variability of the South Australian Karenia bloom across sites, depths and bloom stages. Broadscale water sampling will target areas of bloom spread and prolonged exposure, with sampling locations adjusted using satellite chlorophyll maps and field observations.\n\nThe project will combine microscopy, qPCR-based species identification and abundance estimates, rotifer bioassays, and brevetoxin screening. Rotifer assays will provide a rapid comparative indicator of aquatic toxicity, while qPCR will identify and quantify Karenia species in the same samples, allowing toxicity results to be linked with species composition and bloom development. Selected field samples and cultured strains will also be screened for brevetoxins in collaboration with allied HAB research initiatives.\n\nOutputs will include baseline information on bloom toxicity and variability, qPCR-linked species composition data, a rapid rotifer assay method, and a foundational dataset linking Karenia community structure with toxicological response. The findings will support SA DEW, Commonwealth agencies and other research users in understanding bloom impact pathways, improving future HAB response, and informing long-term monitoring and marine environmental management.\n\nOutputs\n• Integrated harmful algal bloom field, water-quality and toxicology dataset across Gulf St Vincent, Spencer Gulf and Investigator Strait [dataset]\n• Karenia species composition and abundance dataset derived from microscopy and qPCR analyses [dataset]\n• Toxicity assessment dataset incorporating rotifer bioassays and brevetoxin screening results [dataset]\n• Final technical report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.10 - A national inventory of implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards, 2021-2022 (Melbourne Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"A national inventory of implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nClimate change and population growth are accelerating the need for diverse solutions to coastal protection. Traditionally, shorelines are armoured with conventional \"hard\" or \"grey\" engineering structures such as seawalls which are non-adaptive and come with significant economic, environmental and social costs. While hard structures will continue to have a place in coastal protection, alternative methods that are more sustainable and climate-resilient should be more broadly adopted into the future where appropriate. \n\nLiving shorelines harness natural ecosystems to reduce coastal erosion and flooding and provide co-benefits such as carbon sequestration. They may consist of dunes, wetlands and biogenic reefs: either alone (‘soft approach’) or in combination with hard structures (‘hybrid approach’). To date, nature-based solutions have been underutilised in Australia, due at least in part to decision-makers needing clearer guidelines for when a soft, hybrid or hard coastal defence approach is most appropriate. This resulted in the publication of a foundational guide (led by Morris and Swearer and delivered under ESCC Hub Project 5.9: Natural habitats for coastal protection and carbon sequestration) to inform the national use of nature-based methods for coastal hazard risk reduction. In the process of producing these guidelines, the lack of a national inventory of coastal protection projects already using nature-based methods was identified by end-users as a priority to enable their wider adoption as an adaptation strategy in Australia.\n\nThis project generated an online inventory of all current and planned on-ground actions by coastal land managers that have implemented a nature-based solution (NBS) to mitigate coastal hazards. From this, the \"Living Shorelines Australia\" (https://livingshorelines.com.au) database was created. This inventory is the first step in identifying best practice, which will inform the future development of detailed technical design guidelines for implementing different nature-based methods in Australia.\n\nOutputs\n• A national inventory of existing implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards [dataset]\n• Final Project Report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.4 - Ecological outcomes of wastewater discharges in contrasting receiving environments, 2022-2024 (UTS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Ecological outcomes of wastewater discharges in contrasting receiving environments\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nCoastal and marine environments are increasingly exposed to pollution from land-based sources, including wastewater. With the majority of Australians living near the coast, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics can enter the ocean via wastewater treatment plant outfalls. National policies and action plans, including Australia’s Waste Policy Action Plan, the Threat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine debris, and the One Health Master Action Plan, all emphasise the need to incorporate emerging pollutants into contaminant guidelines. However, current monitoring programs focus on a limited set of contaminants, leaving major gaps in our understanding of the presence, concentration, and ecological effects of emerging pollutants in the marine environment.\n\nThis project addressed this problem by: (1) identifying priority pollutants of concern; (2) determining concentrations of Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CEC) at a range of wastewater outfall sites with varying hydrodynamic settings; and (3) assessing where environmental impacts are likely to be greatest. It focused on five key pollutant groups: microplastics, nutrients, heavy metals, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and antimicrobials. Hydrodynamic modelling was used to evaluate residence times and pollutant dispersal in selected marine settings, and field sampling was conducted to assess contaminant levels and potential ecological impacts on the lower food web. The project built on the findings of NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Scoping Study 1.16, which identified the need for impact assessments for CECs.\n\nThe project generated new knowledge to inform risk assessments of emerging contaminants in the marine environment and provides recommendations for prioritising future monitoring and investment. It also enhances access to wastewater discharge data through continued development of the National Outfall Database.\n\nOutputs\n• Measures of CEC (contaminants of emerging concern) and microbial community composition in water and sediment samples taken from outfall sites [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.6 - Exploring the distribution and ecological value of seagrass at the Furneaux Islands, Tasmania, 2023-2025 (IMAS, Deakin Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Exploring the distribution and ecological value of seagrass at the Furneaux Islands, Tasmania\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSeagrass meadows are a dominant marine ecosystem of Tayaritja (the Furneaux Group of Islands) in north-eastern Tasmania. Historical coarse-scale mapping indicated extensive beds of Posidonia, Amphibolis, Heterozostera and Zostera, with the Posidonia and Amphibiolis beds being potentially some of the largest and deepest extents in temperate Australian waters. These habitats provide ecological, social, cultural and economic values, including habitat for fish and for maireener shells used by Pakana people for traditional necklace making.\n\nThis project worked in partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) to improve knowledge of seagrass extent, composition, population structure, ecological condition and blue carbon value around Tayaritja. Existing data were collated to guide survey design for mapping, and high-resolution satellite remote sensing was used to map seagrass beds down to a depth of approximately 30 metres, including intertidal lagoon systems associated with the Logan Lagoon Ramsar site. Field surveys, including video observations and rhizome coring, were used to validate satellite-derived maps and collect ecological samples.\n\nOutputs from this project include spatial layers of seagrass extent, variability and species composition, classified using the Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Classification Scheme. Rhizome samples were used to assess blue carbon storage, genetic connectivity and diversity, population structure, reproductive strategies, and relationships between seagrass, animal and microbial communities in shallow waters.\n\nThe project developed new standards-based approaches for collecting, analysing, managing and reporting seagrass data, alongside training and guidance for the TAC land and sea management team and Pakana Rangers. The resulting methods and datasets will support Indigenous-led monitoring and management of the proposed Tayaritja Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), and improve understanding of wetland values relevant to Ramsar reporting and future blue carbon opportunities.\n\nOutputs\n• Seagrass extent and composition map for Furneaux group [dataset]\n• Seagrass imagery and associated seafloor annotations [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.22 - A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia, 2021-2022 (ECU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe population of Southern Right Whales (SRW) in the Southern Hemisphere has been recovering slowly from near extinction due to its decimation from whaling before its ban in the mid-1970’s. The population that visits the Australian coast each year to breed is estimated to have increased by about 4–5% per year in the past two decades, bringing the total population to approximately 3,500 whales. As the population increases, the whales extend their breeding areas into previously occupied suitable habitat. As the species recovers, there is increasing evidence of expansion of aggregation areas. Consequently, there is a need to update known established aggregation areas and Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) and update relevant Marine Parks management plans based on new evidence.\n\nFlinders Bay and Geographe Bay off south-western Western Australia were likely to have been important calving areas before commercial whaling began. Much of this habitat is popular for recreational boating and other marine activities. This project collated and completed photo-ID matching of southern right whale images collected between 2010 to 2020 in the southwest of Australia, and uploaded these to the Australasian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC). The photo-ID matching outcomes provide evidence that Flinders Bay and Geographe Bay now fit the criteria to be recognised nationally as Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) for Southern Right Whales.\n\nOutputs\n• Photo-identifications of individual whales in southwestern Australia for 1991-2021 (photo-matches contributed to ARWPIC)\n• Final Project Report, including evidence and recommendations for updating aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia according to the Commonwealth criteria [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.28 - Future-proofing the restoration and thermal physiology of giant kelp, 2021-2022 (IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - \"Future-proofing restoration & thermal physiology of kelp\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nKelp forests create complex habitats that support a diverse and productive community of marine life. They underpin coastal food-webs, fisheries, and a suite of other ecosystem services including nutrient and blue carbon cycling. Across much of the world, kelp forests are in decline and under threat from stressors including urbanisation, overgrazing, ocean warming, and marine heatwaves driven by climate change.\n\nAustralia’s giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests are listed as a Threatened Ecological Community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Habitat restoration is a potential tool for the conservation and management of giant kelp ecosystems. Given the direct impacts of climate change and ocean warming, there is growing recognition of the need for habitat restoration to be ‘future proofed’.\n\nFor restoration to be effective, the cause of habitat decline must be understood and overcome. This is problematic when climate change is driving habitat loss since it cannot be reversed or ameliorated prior to restoration. A previous NESP project led by this team (NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project E7) identified warm-tolerant strains of giant kelp from remnant patches in eastern Tasmania, where the species has experienced precipitous declines due to ocean-warming. These strains have high potential to assist with ‘future-proofing’ kelp forest restoration, however it is still unclear what the physiological mechanisms are that provide their improved thermal tolerance. It is also unknown whether cross-breeding the identified warm-tolerant giant kelp strains will affect and potentially improve their thermal tolerance capacity.\n\nThis project explored the physiology of kelp thermal performance, specifically the mechanisms potentially responsible for the warm water tolerance identified in particular giant kelp strains. It confirmed the improved ability of the warm-tolerant strains to develop at stressful warm temperatures relative to normal giant kelp, and demonstrated for the first time that their improved thermal performance may extend to the development and fertilisation. The outcomes progress toward the identification of populations of Australian kelp that may be resilient to (or especially threatened by) ocean warming and climate change.\n\nOutputs\n• Ecophysiological measurements from laboratory experiments of warm-tolerant vs average giant kelp genotypes [dataset]\n• Final Project Report including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.21 - Australia’s Coastal Shorebirds: Trends and Prospects, 2021-2022 (UQ)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Australia’s Coastal Shorebirds: Trends and Prospects\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nCoastal Australia is home to 37 regularly occurring migratory shorebird species, with many protected areas including Ramsar sites designated on the basis of shorebird populations. Many migratory shorebirds are declining rapidly, and hence the focus of conservation efforts at multiple levels of government in Australia and overseas. However, trend data are now nearly 10 years old, meaning the information available to assess where conservation actions are needed most urgently and whether conservation efforts are helping species recover are outdated.\n\nTo ensure populations have the best chance at recovery and that resources are allocated where they are most likely to have the greatest positive impacts, it is critical to maintain up-to-date information on species trends. This project analysed 30 years of shorebird monitoring data collected by citizen science groups across Australia and curated by BirdLife Australia’s National Shorebird Monitoring Program to update national trend estimates, while also assessing the relative effects of human pressure and conservation efforts on population trends. In particular, it focused on 15 migratory shorebird species whose conservation status was being reassessed by the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This project sets the stage for building the next decade of coastal shorebird conservation activity in Australia, coordinated through the national mechanism of the End User: National Migratory Shorebird Conservation Action Plan Steering Committee, with representatives from national and state governments as well as leading shorebird experts.\n\nOutputs\n• Fact Sheet on Australia's coastal shorebird trends and prospects [written]\n• Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.16 - Research needs for assessment and monitoring of nutrients, chemicals and antimicrobials in the marine environment, 2021-2022 (UTS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - \"Research needs for assessment and monitoring of nutrients, chemicals and antimicrobials in the marine environment\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nCoastal water quality is threatened by an increasing volume of chemicals produced and used in our modern lives. These chemicals are commonly incorporated into pharmaceuticals and household items, and subsequently discharged into coastal areas from a broad range of point sources. Recently emerging contaminants include a variety of chemical (e.g. heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, nutrients) and microbiological (e.g. pathogens, antibiotic resistant microbes) sources that are discharged in sewage, stormwater, estuarine flows and industrial wastes.\n\nFor many of these chemicals, our understanding of their environmental concentrations and biological effects is limited. When new scientific information emerges to suggest that a particular contaminant may be hazardous, this is refered to as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC). There is limited data about the environmental occurrence and biological effects of CECs, but emerging research suggests they have the capacity to be toxic.\n\nWith an increasing list of CECs detected in the environment, important questions remain unanswered around which contaminants and scientific knowledge gaps should be prioritised. This desktop study engaged CEC stakeholders from academic research, government, water utilities, and non-government organisations to collaboratively identify priority CEC issues in Australia’s marine ecosystems. The project delivers a risk-based framework for future CEC research directions and water quality management priorities.\n\nOutputs\n• Final Project Report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.17 - Research needs for a national approach to socio-economic values of the marine environment, 2021-2022 (UTAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - \"Research needs for a national approach to socio-economic values of the marine environment\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nEffective management of natural resources and biodiversity requires an integrated understanding of the complex relationships between people and nature. This project reviewed a range of socio-ecological frameworks to identify which system components influence environmental outcomes, and which are most relevant for policy design and behaviour change. A key point of difference from previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub projects was an additional theme on implementation pathways, enabling research to inform the full progression from policy to on-ground action.\n\nThrough a co-design process with stakeholders, the project identified priority social and economic research needs and assessed the availability of relevant datasets to meet them. A key outcome was the identification of three common decision contexts faced by managers—monitoring, trade-off analysis, and promoting behaviour change—and the matching of appropriate frameworks and data to each context. The findings highlight critical data gaps, while providing practical guidance on how existing information can be strategically used to inform management and policy decisions.\n\nOutputs\n• Inventory of compiled datasets relating to relevant economic values, threats, and socioeconomic values for Case Study locations [data inventory]\n• Four fact sheets, each based around common decision contexts encountered by the project [written]\n• Final Project Report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.2 - Assessing dugong distribution and abundance in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, 2024-2026 (CDU, JCU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub study - Assessing dugong distribution and abundance in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nAboriginal ranger groups, Traditional Owners of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria (sGoC), scientists, Queensland, Northern Territory and Commonwealth government representatives will co-design and implement a program that enables a contemporary cross-border understanding of dugong populations and other marine megafauna. The dugong program comprises three parts: 1) Dugong population genetics, 2) a standardised aerial survey in the sGoC, and 3) Indigenous-led drone surveys of marine megafauna hotspots. The collaborative approach will enable contemporary data on abundance, distribution and genetic population structuring to inform local and regional conservation management actions. In combination with other NESP investments in Qld and WA, this program will have applied consistent approaches to dugong population assessment across three states. This program directly responds to the national priorities of conserving, protecting and sustainably managing biodiversity through research and information management.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • dugong distribution & abundance [spatial dataset]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.7 - Aerial survey of the Southern Right Whale 'western' sub-population off southern Australia, 2022-2023 (Murdoch Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Aerial survey of the Southern Right Whale 'western' sub-population off southern Australia\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSouthern right whales are listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and are a species of national conservation significance. Monitoring of their recovery is guided by the Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan, which aims to improve the population’s conservation status through regular assessment of population size, calving intervals, and spatial trends.\n\nThis project continued the long-term aerial survey program of southern right whales along the southern Australian coast, spanning from Perth (WA) to Ceduna (SA). Annual surveys have been conducted since 1993, providing a continuous long-term dataset for the 'western' population and supporting national assessments of connectivity with the smaller ‘eastern’ population. The surveys contribute essential data on population trends, calving rates, and movements of individuals.\n\nThe August 2022 aerial survey ensured an uninterrupted time series in the long-term population trend data. This is particularly important given the species' non-annual breeding cycle (typically every three years). Annual surveys are essential to maintain an acceptable level of precision in estimating population trends and key life history parameters. A total of 526 whales were recorded, including 247 cow–calf pairs, 31 unaccompanied adults and one yearling. Based on long-term models, this equated to a population estimate of approximately 2,675 individuals, with an average annual growth rate of ~5.3%.\n\nWhile this represents a continued population growth, results suggest a possible slowing in the rate of growth over the past 13 years (from 7.5% in 2009). The 2022 survey also recorded the lowest number of unaccompanied animals in the entire time series, extending a five-year trend of low sightings in this group. Continued monitoring of the population is needed to assess whether these changes represent longer-term shifts in population dynamics and calving intervals, and to inform adaptive management for this long-lived, slow-recovering species.\n\nOutputs\n• Estimate of relative abundance and population trend compared to long-term aerial survey sightings [dataset]\n• Individual whale photo-identification data - 2021-22 season [imagery - published to ARWPIC]\n• Final technical report detailing overall numbers of southern right whales observed within the survey region, their gender (and life stage where possible) and spatial distribution of individuals [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.20 - A National Approach to Indigenous Engagement in Australia's Blue Carbon and Environmental Markets, 2023-2025 (CDU, ICIN, NAILSMA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub study - Project 3.20– A National Approach to Indigenous Engagement in Australia’s Blue Carbon and Environmental Markets. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nBlue Carbon and Environmental markets, and their related environmental policy are rapidly evolving to meet National carbon reduction targets. In Australia, they’re emerging markets with great potential to improve carbon sequestration and restore biodiversity and cultural values. However, swift market growth infers the potential for perverse outcomes without proper regulation and processes implemented alongside. Corresponding regulation and processes are not yet in place to ensure Indigenous engagement is conducted in a legitimate, respectful, and empowering manner. \n\nThe project proposes to coordinate a national Indigenous engagement approach for Blue Carbon and where appropriate include discussions on other Environmental market projects. This process will capture the wide-ranging rights and interests of Indigenous peoples and communities across jurisdictions and ensure empowerment in the Blue Carbon market. A key output from this research will be a document that outlines leading practice Indigenous engagement principles learned through a process of consultation with key Indigenous groups across Australia. It will be submitted to the Commonwealth government alongside proposed new Blue Carbon methods to enable efficient implementation that is ethical and in accord with leading practice principles of Indigenous engagement. The Blue Carbon market provides an opportunity for Indigenous community economic gain amidst complex legislation, tenure, resource ownership and co-benefits that haven’t been investigated in detail. Projects for the proposed Ungulate Method (Project 3.8) will occur on Aboriginal-owned land and mixed tenure where Indigenous people hold significant values and interests. Ensuring, Indigenous peoples rights, equity, and that principles of free, prior, and informed consent, are at the fore front of projects, leading practice Indigenous engagement is essential. The project notes that the legislative framework for the Blue Carbon market and how it relates to Indigenous peoples is different to other emerging environmental markets and it is likely to inherently limit the outcomes of this project.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Mapping tenure of Blue Carbon resources [spatial dataset]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.8 - Including sediment processes in restoration strategies for Australian seagrass ecosystems, 2021-2022 (UNSW)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"A national framework for improving seagrass restoration\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSeagrasses provide resources and ecosystem services critical to the health of coastal ecosystems and human populations. They increase water clarity, stabilise sediments and reduce coastal erosion, sequester carbon, and provide habitat and food to marine animals, including commercially important fish and invertebrates. Across Australia, the loss of >275,000 ha of seagrass meadows and associated ecosystem services—valued at AU$ 5.3 billion—has contributed to the long-term degradation of estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. Restoration of seagrass is critical for improving the health and function of these ecosystems and sustaining coastal communities and industries that depend on them, yet restoration projects to date typically occur at small scales, driven by local priorities and with variable success.\n\nThis project addressed this problem by bringing together scientists and key stakeholders to collate knowledge on seagrass ecology and restoration, and generated a framework to scaling-up restoration nationally. A national workshop with experts identified a shortlist of drivers key to restoration success, including sediment dynamics, microbial communities, hydrodynamics, and species interactions. It highlighted the importance of incorporating seagrass genetics and life histories into site and donor material selection to improve long-term resilience. New technologies such as eDNA, automation, and AI were also assessed for their potential to improve monitoring and reduce costs, while standardised methodologies and molecular tools were recommended to track microbial indicators and site suitability. A key insight from the workshop was the central role of sediment processes in feedback loops that determine seagrass health—providing a foundation for more effective, scalable restoration strategies.\n\nOn-ground case studies were conducted in Western Australia and New South Wales to test the proposed restoration framework in collaboration with Indigenous and community partners: sediment quality assessment and manipulation (Gamay Rangers, UNSW); seed and seedling capture using sediment-filled hessian tubes (Malgana Rangers, UWA); and large-scale seed collection for seed-based restoration through the 'Seeds for Snapper' initiative (OzFish and UWA). These trials demonstrated the effectiveness of community-led restoration and reinforced the potential of seed-based methods for scaling up seagrass recovery.\n\n\nOutputs\n• Effect of sediment quality and manipulation on seagrass transplant success [field data]\n• Locations and health of beachcast fragments of Posidonia in Botany Bay [field data]\n• Effect of engineering hydrodynamics (by use of hessian socks) on seagrass transplant success [field data]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.14 - Assessing changes in black rockcod abundance and size, 2023-2024 (NSW DPI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Assessing changes in black rockcod abundance and size\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe black rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii) is a long-lived, reef-dwelling species listed as Vulnerable under Commonwealth and NSW legislation. In Australia it occurs along the coast of New South Wales, including at Lord Howe Island. Although protected from fishing in NSW since 1983, the species is vulnerable to illegal take, incidental capture, barotrauma-related mortality, and degradation of nursery habitats. Long-term monitoring is a high priority for assessing whether recovery actions and spatial protections are improving population status.\n\nThis project repeated the broadscale baseline survey of black rockcod across northern NSW and Lord Howe Island, extending a monitoring program that began in 2009–2011 and included smaller key-site surveys every four to five years. Divers surveyed reef sites, photographed and filmed individual fish, recorded habitat and depth, and estimated fish lengths, including with stereo-video where possible. Additional local field capability was built through Indigenous engagement and community-based monitoring activities.\n\nThese survey outputs contributed to a 15-year time series (2009-2024) on abundance, occupancy, size structure, habitat associations, and spatial distribution of black rockcod. The results indicated continued low abundance across the species’ surveyed range, while also identifying larger mature individuals and higher abundances in some no-take sanctuary zones. The long-term dataset provided evidence for assessing recovery actions and sanctuary zone effectiveness, informs future monitoring priorities, and supports potential reassessment of the species’ threatened status.\n\nOutputs\n• Black rockcod underwater visual census (UVC) data [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.7 - Updating knowledge of Australian white sharks (CSIRO, NSW DPI, SARDI, DPIRD, Flinders Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Updating knowledge of Australian white sharks\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe white shark is listed as Vulnerable and Migratory under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. Previous NESP-funded research provided updated estimates of breeding population size and trend, but uncertainty remained around juvenile nursery and pupping areas, movement patterns, and connectivity between eastern and south-western Australian populations. More recent evidence has also raised the possibility of a single Australian population.\n\nThis project aimed to reduce uncertainty in the status, trends and population structure of white sharks in Australian waters, with a focus on identifying biologically important habitats and improving population assessment through expanded close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) analyses.\n\nThe project combined three major components:\n(1) pilot tagging studies of large adult females and juvenile sharks to improve understanding of movements, pupping areas and habitat use;\n(2) genetic analyses to assess stock structure and connectivity using samples collected across Australia, and where possible from South Africa and New Zealand; and\n(3) updated population assessment using expanded tissue sample collections and close-kin mark-recapture methods.\n\nPopulation estimates incorporated approximately 1,000 tissue samples from New South Wales together with additional samples from South Australia and Western Australia. Juvenile abundance information from the New South Wales shark management program was also integrated into the assessment framework. CKMR approaches used genetic identification of parent-offspring and half-sibling relationships to estimate adult abundance, survival and population trends.\n\nProject outputs included updated estimates of population size and trend, improved understanding of population connectivity and movement patterns, and refined information on potential nursery and critical habitat areas. These findings support white shark recovery planning, future monitoring design, and conservation assessment in Commonwealth and state waters.\n\nOutputs\n• New genetic samples and sequencing data for white sharks [dataset]\n• Tracking data from PAT tags [dataset]\n• Final technical report (including recommendations for systematic future research to assist in identifying additional critical habitat for the south-western white shark population) [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.16 - Delineation and estimation of the Maugean skate population in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, 2023-2024 (IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Delineation and estimation of the Maugean skate population in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania\". No public data outputs are planned for this project.\n--------------------\n\nThe Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is now only found in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, which has a long history of environmental degradation. The species is listed as Endangered under Commonwealth and Tasmanian legislation, and its restricted distribution, small population size, and exposure to degraded environmental conditions make population monitoring a high conservation priority.\n\nRecent research suggests that the Macquarie Harbour population may be declining. However, existing abundance estimation methods are inadequate because the species is cryptic, capture-based methods pose risks to skate health, and conventional optical surveys are limited by the harbour’s shallow, stratified, and highly turbid conditions.\n\nThis project developed and tested new approaches to estimate and monitor the Maugean skate population using next-generation genetic sequencing and novel imaging technologies. Non-invasive acoustic methods (adaptive resolution imaging sonar (ARIS), synthetic aperture sonar, performed better than optical approaches (LiDAR, conventional video), under Macquarie Harbour conditions. ARIS was identified as the most suitable image-based monitoring tool for future population surveys. The genetic component generated the first reference-quality whole and mitochondrial genomes for the species and sequenced samples from 162 individuals. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses showed that the Macquarie Harbour population has very low genetic diversity, which may influence how genetic risks are interpreted in recovery planning.\n\nThe project produced new monitoring methodologies, genomic reference resources, and population genetic datasets to support future monitoring of Maugean skate abundance, population structure, and genetic health. The findings will inform conservation planning and evaluation of recovery strategies including captive breeding, translocation, and long-term genetic monitoring under changing environmental conditions.\n\nOutputs\n• Tissue sampling results and genome-wide population genetic structure [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.4 - An Indigenous-led approach to advance the health and wellbeing of Tebrakunna Country and people of the Coastal Plains nation, north-eastern Tasmania (MTWAC)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"An Indigenous-led approach to advance the health and wellbeing of Tebrakunna Country and people of the Coastal Plains nation, north-eastern Tasmania\". No data outputs are planned for this project.\n--------------------\n\nTebrakunna Country in north-eastern Tasmania is a significant place for Tasmanian Aboriginal people and the Country of the Coastal Plains nation. Reconnecting to ancestral land and sea Country, restoring Aboriginal land management practices, and strengthening links between healthy Country and healthy people are central priorities for the Melaythenner Teeackana Warrana (Heart of Country) Aboriginal Corporation (MTWAC).\n\nThis Indigenous-led and co-designed project, delivered by MTWAC and the University of Tasmania across all four NESP Hubs, will support Healthy Country Planning for Tebrakunna. MTWAC Indigenous researchers, Tebrakunna Country rangers and community members, and western scientists will work together to identify priority values, targets, threats and viability of Tebrakunna land and sea Country.\n\nThe project will compile environmental, cultural and social information through MTWAC-led workshops and related research activities. It will develop approaches to assess the wellbeing benefits of connection to Country and on-Country activities, including spiritual, emotional, physical, socio-economic and environmental dimensions. It will also identify research, monitoring and capacity-building priorities, including opportunities in Sea Country condition assessment, cultural burning, cultural food sources, myerlee/golden kelp forest monitoring, seasonal cultural calendars, climate impacts and coastal wetland values.\n\nOutputs will support MTWAC’s strategic priorities to manage culture and heritage, strengthen the Tebrakunna Ranger Program, build community capacity and employment pathways, and progress aspirations for a future Indigenous Protected Area over Tebrakunna land and sea Country. The project will provide a stronger knowledge base for monitoring and improving the health of Country and people through MTWAC-led governance and planning.\n\nOutputs\n• Report characterising Coastal Country, including threats and opportunities assessment [written]\n• Co-designed wellbeing framework, methods and tools [written]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.2 - National Areas of Interest for Seabed Mapping, Characterisation and Biodiversity Assessment, 2021-2022 (GA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - \"National Areas of Interest for Seabed Mapping, Characterisation and Biodiversity Assessment\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSeabed and marine biodiversity data are time-consuming and costly to collect, so it is imperative that acquisition is focused on areas that align with end user priorities. The value that different stakeholders place on seabed and biodiversity data can be difficult to determine. Therefore, a shared process for identifying survey priorities is required to ensure the maximum shared benefit of future survey investment across research users, funding agencies, infrastructure providers, as well as the wider marine research community. \n\nThe project aimed to assist with the planning and prioritisation of marine surveys (both physical and biological) by scoping a prioritisation framework for marine surveys undertaking physical and biological seabed data collection in Australia. Focused workshops and targeted engagements with seabed mapping organisations were used to develop a standard set of metadata for agencies to define spatial Areas of Interest (AOI). The standard metadata were used in a prototype prioritisation framework that allows users to transparently and consistently rank and prioritise survey work or data delivery processes. The prioritisation is then based on rankings established by defined sets of criteria.\n\nA web-based AOI submission tool and mapping publication service was then developed for these defined areas as part of the AusSeabed Survey Coordination Tool. Adoption of this tool facilitates the development of an interim national areas of interest product to inform future survey planning. This product supports both the needs of Parks Australia's network Science Plans, and consideration of information needs for Indigenous Protected Areas within Sea Country.\n\nOutputs\n• National Areas of Interest polygon & interactive map [dataset]\n• Code for Survey Coordination Tool [Github Repo]\n• Final Report with Value Prioritisation Framework [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.26 - Relative abundance of the ‘western’ population of southern right whales from an aerial survey off southern Australia, 2021-2022 (Murdoch Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - \"A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is listed as Endangered under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and is subject to conservation listings in five Australian states due to severe population declines caused by historical whaling. The Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan 2011–2021 outlines the current status of, and threats to, the southern right whale in Australian waters and prioritises recovery actions during this period. The long-term vision for the recovery of this species in Australian waters is to increase the population size to a level that the conservation status improves, and the species no longer qualifies for listing as threatened under any of the EPBC Act listing criteria. The plan must be periodically updated to reflect new knowledge and prioritise the research needed to monitor population recovery and predict the impacts of threats such as climate change.\n\nAerial surveys of southern right whales have been conducted across the southern Australian coast from Perth (W.A.) to Ceduna (S.A.) since 1993, as part of a long-term program to monitor the recovery, and inform the Conservation Management Plan (2011-2021), for this Endangered species. In Australia’s south-east, there has been little sign of recovery in southern right whale numbers following intense commercial whaling. A working hypothesis assumes separation between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations, largely due to loss of ‘cultural memory’ of whales migrating to the eastern range breeding areas. Given the relative paucity of animals that visit the southern Australian coast in areas other than south-west Australia, the western population is considered to represent the majority of the ‘Australian’ southern right whale population. The count data from these aerial surveys provide data on population trend and estimates of population size for the ‘western’ population, and hence the majority of the Australian southern right whales. Associated photo-identification data provide life history information (such as calving intervals) and connectivity between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations and contribute to the national southern right whale photo-id database: the Australasian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC).\n\nThe 2020 aerial survey program recorded substantially lower numbers of whales than in the previous 13 years, and the lowest number of non-calving whales since the program started. This project conducted new aerial surveying in August 2021 to provide a relative estimate of annual population size for determining longer term population trends and contribute to determining if 2020 was an anomalous year or an indicator of some longer-term change to recent recovery rates and the female breeding cycle.\n\nOutputs\n• Aerial whale survey data (counts by size class, number, and location) - 2021-22 season [dataset]\n• Individual whale photo-identification data - 2021-22 season [imagery - published to ARWPIC]\n• Final Project Report including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.10 - A partnership approach to filling key knowledge gaps on dugongs in northern Australia using novel technologies, 2023-2026 (JCU, CDU, DBCA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - Project 3.10 – A partnership approach to filling key knowledge gaps on dugongs in northern Australia using novel technologies. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nIn Australia, the dugong is protected under the EPBC Act 1999 as a listed migratory, and listed marine species, it is also a Matter of National Environmental Significance. The dugong is culturally significant to the coastal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of northern Australia and has a high biodiversity value. This project includes five activities that will contribute to addressing key knowledge gaps about the spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution, abundance, connectivity and health of dugong populations. The project is designed to inform management in several regions of high value habitat across northern Australia. Transversal to the activities described below is a strong partnership approach with Traditional Owners and members of the wider community. The project will be co-designed, co-produced and will co-deliver research and monitoring outputs. The studies will utilise and advance emerging technologies (e.g., aerial images collected from planes and drones, Artificial Intelligence, population genomics) with the ultimate goal of enhancing data quality, reducing research and monitoring costs, and increasing accessibility of monitoring tools to non-experts.\n\nActivity 1: Assessing trends in the distribution and abundance of dugongs during the transition to imagery surveys along the eastern coast of Queensland\nActivity 2: Assessing the trends in the distribution and abundance of dugongs during the transition to imagery survey in the Shark Bay and Ningaloo/Exmouth Gulf area\nActivity 3: Using population genomics approaches to identify populations and their level of connectivity across northern Australia\nActivity 4; Assessing the body size and body condition of dugongs using drone-based photogrammetry\nActivity 5: Developing community-led dugong monitoring with traditional owners in the Kimberley region.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n• Dugong sighting location and count data from observer aerial survey data [spatial dataset]\n• Imagery from aerial surveys and photogrammetry\n• Genomic sequencing data and tissue samples\n• Statistical code or script files\n• Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]\n• Peer-reviewed open access publication"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.29 c – Defining a pathway for the operational use of emerging technologies on country. (2022) (NAILSMA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - Defining a pathway for the operational use of emerging technologies on country. \n\nMarine and coastal impacts in northern Australia occur overwhelmingly on Indigenous managed land. However, the collection, analysis and use of data to support adaptive management of the threats to these important ecosystems is dominated by external organisations. Existing monitoring solutions rely on trust in the training and expertise of the people collecting the data. The appropriate use of technology and associated training for Indigenous practitioners, coupled with software and hardware development, offers an alternative for Indigenous organisations and funders to deliver environmental, social and cultural impacts in northern Australia. \n\nNAILSMA and its partners have been engaged in activities that seek to develop ethical and inclusive technology solutions that enable Indigenous organisations new opportunities to maximize the participation and leadership in activities that support the management of threats to ecosystems across northern Australia. \n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.20 - Scoping Study: Marine and Coastal Threatened Species and Communities, 2021-2022 (UTAS, RRRC)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small scale scoping study: Marine and Coastal Threatened Species and Communities.\n\nThere are numerous species and ecological communities in Australia’s marine and coastal environments that have formal threatened conservation status. Through a process of targeted reviews, expert elicitation and workshops with end-users, domain experts and others, this project will identify and co-design prospective research projects that best deliver information that will notably improve the status of key selected threatened species in Australia’s marine and coastal environment. Outputs will include summaries of workshops outcomes and a set of co-designed research proposals for submission in future Hub annual research plans. This project also provides the platform for MAC Hub contributions to the Resilient Landscapes Hub Cross-Hub Mission Project 7.0 on Threatened and Migratory Species and Ecological Communities.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Final technical report recommendations for policy makers of key findings for priority research areas [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.15 - Grey nurse shark aggregations, 2024-2025 (CSIRO, NSW DPI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Grey Nurse Shark aggregations\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nGrey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus) are protected in Australian Commonwealth waters. Under the EPBC Act, the eastern Australian population is listed as Critically Endangered, while the western Australian population is listed as Vulnerable. The species aggregates at particular sites along migration routes, but existing definitions and criteria for “key aggregation sites” require refinement to support consistent assessment across eastern and western Australia.\n\nThis project collated existing information on recognised grey nurse shark aggregation sites and potential new sites where sharks have been observed to gather. It reviewed occupancy patterns, existing survey evidence and western population data to refine the definition of a key aggregation site and develop criteria for assessing whether sites should be listed, delisted or prioritised for further investigation.\n\nField and data activities focused on areas where information was limited or where potential new aggregation sites had been identified. These included surveys in Victorian waters near Corner Inlet using ROV and eDNA methods in partnership with Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation; community engagement with dive, fishing and freediving groups to improve reporting of observations; an initial BRUV survey of a reef system in Commonwealth waters in Hunter Marine Park; expanded acoustic receiver coverage at Barwon Banks in Queensland; and review of potential aggregation sites in Western Australia.\n\nThe project outputs provided Commonwealth and state management agencies with a clearer, more defensible basis for identifying and assessing grey nurse shark aggregation sites. The resulting information supported consistent evaluation of existing and potential sites, prioritisation of future surveys, and improved conservation planning for both eastern and western grey nurse shark populations.\n\nOutputs\n• Spatial information on key Grey Nurse Shark aggregation sites [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.6 - Synthesis of environmental values to support the review of Australian Marine Park management plans (IMAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Synthesis of environmental values to support the review of Australian Marine Park management plans\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nParks Australia (Australian Government) manage 60 Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) around the country, covering an area of 3.8 million square kilometres, or 43% of all Australian waters. The approach to managing AMPs is set out in eight Management Plans, one for each of the five marine park networks (North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East) and one each for the Coral Sea Marine Park, Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park. A statutory review of Management Plans for the North, North-west, South-west, Temperate-East networks and the Coral Sea Marine Park is scheduled for 2028. This review requires accessible, synthesised evidence on science outputs, natural values, socio-economic values and pressures across parks and networks.\n\nThis project supports the 2028 statutory review by synthesising relevant NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub, NESP Marine and Coastal Hub, and Parks Australia-contracted work from 2017 onwards. These reports bring together science outputs, natural values, pressures and socio-economic information from 2017 onwards, aggregated where possible to Park and Network scales.\n\nThe project reviewed the data summaries, workflows and reporting tools used to prepare the synthesis reports, and identified opportunities to better integrate this infrastructure. These recommendations support future AMP management effectiveness reporting, statutory review processes, and national environmental assessment and impact reporting.\n\nOutputs\n •\tCatalogue of available data for each reviewed Network (North, North-west, South-west, Temperate East) and the Coral Sea AMP [data inventory]\n •\tSynthesis report [written] for each region that will include:\n \t - a summary of science activity and outputs since 2017\n \t - summaries of the state and trend of Natural Values and Pressures since 2017, aggregated by Ecosystem Component, Ecosystem Depth Zone, AMP, and AMP Zone type (where possible)\n•\tFinal technical report (including recommendations to support AMP management and reporting) [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.9 – Making marine environmental data more assessment ready, 2025 (UTAS, IMOS)","recordAbstract":"The 2020 Independent Review of the EPBC Act (the Samuel Review) states that “Decision-makers, proponents and the community do not have access to the best available data, information and science. This results in sub-optimal decision-making, inefficiency and additional cost for business, and poor transparency for the community. Immediate investment in the information supply chain is needed to support reform. We can't wait until perfect data is available. What is missing at the moment, is the step required to routinely turn well-managed marine research data into marine environmental data and products, that can be consumed by the EIA national environmental data supply chain and made available for use in SOE reports, Environmental Economic Accounts, environmental assessments, and tracking of environmental trends and outcomes.\n\nThis project will address that gap by (a) identifying priority datasets currently managed as research data and (b) building the additional information infrastructure required to (c) routinely deliver marine environmental data and products that are assessment ready, in line with the Nature Positive Plan.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n\n• Final technical report with analysed data and summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.18 - Managing microplastics in south-eastern Australian coastal waters: identifying knowledge gaps, 2021-2022 (Adelaide Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Microplastics in South Eastern Australian coastal waters: synthesising current data and identifying key knowledge gaps for the management of plastic pollution\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nPlastic pollution is pervasive in coastal environments globally and in Australia. Due to their small size, microplastics (pieces <5mm) are readily ingested by marine organisms and potentially accumulate across food webs, raising concerns for biota, ecosystem services and human health. Yet, to define guidelines and support policy actions that curb microplastic pollution, managers and decision-makers lack clear, synthesised information on this multifaceted issue, including on occurrence, sources, and pathways of microplastics in coastal and marine environments.\n\nThis project synthesised current knowledge on microplastics in the coastal waters of South-Eastern Australia (South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales), identifying key gaps in data, monitoring, and risk assessment. A central output was a compiled database of existing microplastics studies across the study region. Through engagement with stakeholders from government, research, and industry, the project defined shared priorities and barriers to action. Three critical research needs were identified: (1) methodological harmonisation, (2) source and pathway identification, and (3) evidence of ecological risk. Together, the synthesis and stakeholder input set a clear direction for future coordinated research to enable evidence-based management of microplastic pollution across jurisdictions.\n\nThe work laid the foundation for the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for marine microplastics sampling, which was subsequently delivered through NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.2 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/2-2): chapter \"Marine sampling field manual for microplastics\" in Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters, Version 3 (https://microplastics-field-manual.github.io).\n\nOutputs\n• Inventory of compiled datasets relating to microplastics in SE Aus waters [spatial dataset]\n• Final Project Report synthesising the information available on the presence of microplastics in coastal marine environments in South Eastern Australia, its potential sources and pathways [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.12 - Assessing impacts of harmful algal bloom events on South Australian benthic habitats (SARDI, Adelaide Uni, Flinders Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Emerging Priorities project \"Assessing impacts of harmful algal bloom events on South Australian benthic habitats\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nIn early 2025, South Australia experienced an unprecedented harmful algal bloom (HAB) dominated by Karenia species, with high concentrations in Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf. These gulfs support diverse benthic habitats, iconic biodiversity, and important commercial and recreational fisheries. The rapid development of the bloom and challenges associated with accessing affected areas limited timely assessment of impacts to benthic ecosystem.\n\nThis Emerging Priorities project will assess HAB impacts by repeating recent benthic surveys at impacted sites across both gulfs. The project will take advantage of existing pre-bloom baseline data, allowing robust before-after comparisons with minimal confounding by seasonal or inter-annual trends.\n\nThe assessment will integrate towed-camera habitat imagery, stereo-BRUV fish assemblage surveys, benthic trawl data and environmental measurements. Towed-camera resurveys will provide post-bloom imagery, and visual and quantitative assessments of habitat condition. Repeat stereo-BRUV surveys will assess changes in relative abundance, richness and composition of fish and larger invertebrate communities across seagrass and sand habitats. The findings will inform the South Australian HAB Science Program, support development of HAB-related coastal habitat monitoring, and provide evidence for state and Commonwealth agencies to prioritise future monitoring, research and management actions.\n\nOutputs\n• Post-HAB benthic imagery [imagery]\n• Quantitative assessment of impacts on benthic habitat and fish communities [dataset]\n• Final technical report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.8 - Carbon abatement and biodiversity enhancements through controlling feral ungulate disturbance in wetlands, 2023-2025 (UQ)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - Project 3.8 – Carbon abatement and biodiversity enhancements through controlling feral ungulate disturbance in wetlands. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nFeral ungulates (e.g., cattle, pigs, buffalo) damage wetlands, reducing biodiversity, water quality and cultural heritage values, but funding for management has been inadequate. Feral ungulates may contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through their disturbance of soils and vegetation, but the levels of carbon abatement achieved with their control is not well characterised across Australia. This project will work with Traditional Owners, academics and governments to characterise the benefits of feral ungulate control in wetlands, providing science that will underpin development of an Emission Reduction Fund method, where payments for carbon credits and biodiversity enhancements would fund management of feral ungulates on Country.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n• Environmental habitat surveys [tabular dataset]\n• Greenhouse gas and soil carbon data [tabular data]\n• ungulate damage assessments [tabular data]\n• Remote sensing vegetation condition [scripts]\n• Wetland topology assessments [spatial]\n• Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.10 - Improving socio-ecological understanding of natural values in Australian Marine Parks (UWA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Improving socio-ecological understanding of natural values in Australian Marine Parks\". No public data outputs will be generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nParks Australia (Australian Government) manage 60 Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) around the country, covering an area of 3.8 million square kilometres, or 43% of all Australian waters. The approach to managing AMPs is set out in eight Management Plans: one for each of the five marine park networks (North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East) and one each for the Coral Sea Marine Park, Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park. A statutory review of Management Plans for the North, North-west, South-west, Temperate-East networks and the Coral Sea Marine Park is scheduled for 2028. Socio-economic information is needed alongside natural values data to assess management effectiveness and understand how Australians use, value and perceive the marine park system.\n\nThis project progressed the use of socio-economic information to support Australian Marine Park management and the 2028 management plan review. It builds on previous NESP research by redeveloping socio-economic benchmarks aligned with Parks Australia’s sentinel park approach and network-scale reporting, and complements NESP-led data synthesis projects (SS2, D7, 1.3, 4.20 and 4.21).\n\nThe project redesigned two repeatable national surveys: a knowledge, attitudes and practice boat ramp survey targeting recreational fishers and non-fishers who use Australian Marine Parks, and a general public survey exploring broader community awareness, attitudes and views on management zones. Nine boat-ramp survey locations were selected with Parks Australia to support park- and network-scale estimates of recreational use covering the Coral Sea, and North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East networks.\n\nThe survey design and sampling regime provide a basis for assessing changes in awareness, attitudes and use patterns since the 2019/20 benchmark. Combined with natural values data, these outputs strengthen the Management Effectiveness system and support more integrated reporting on the social, economic and ecological values of Australian Marine Parks.\n\nOutputs\n • Responses from recreational user surveys [dataset]. In accordance with National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, only aggregated outputs will be made publicly available.\n• Final technical report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.11 – Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN) (JCU, CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 'Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN)'. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nDespite considerable government investment in Great Barrier Reef catchment area (GBRCA) water quality programs (>$2B) including on-ground works and regulation, this is the first comprehensive analysis of long-term trends in empirical water quality monitoring data to test and quantify any detectable changes. Building on the definitive compilation of four decades of historical water quality data for key river basins of the GBRCA (James at al., 2025), this project will examine long-term trends in Reef 2050 Plan priority constituents, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and suspended sediment. To compliment this evaluation, this project will compile and evaluate changes in fertiliser application amounts across the river basins of the GBRCA over the same time period. This compilation of land use specific fertiliser application data also provides a foundational record of long-term changes in land management over annual timesteps. This project will inform current and future Reef policy and on-ground investment programs, as well as support on-going catchment modelling efforts.\n\nThis record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 5.11 'Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN)'. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nProject outputs:\n• A time series compilation of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser application amounts in the river basins of the Great Barrier Reef catchment area [Journal paper]\n• Statistical water quality trend analysis of priority basin sites across the Great Barrier Reef catchment area, including measures of uncertainty [Journal paper]."}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.22 - Environmental concentrations of emerging contaminants in coastal stormwater (UTS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Environmental concentrations of emerging contaminants in coastal stormwater\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nContaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are natural and synthetic chemicals associated with pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial products, household items and microplastics that can affect environmental and human health. Australian wastewater and coastal water quality strategies have identified the need to better understand the concentrations, distribution and ecological impacts of these contaminants in marine environments, particularly in relation to wastewater discharges and stormwater inputs.\n\nThis project extended NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.4 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/2-4) that investigated CECs in Australian coastal waters, by increasing the spatial and temporal resolution of sampling around wastewater outfalls and stormwater systems. Sampling focused on Gamay (NSW) and Glenelg (South Australia), enabling comparison between wastewater treatment plant effluent and coastal stormwater inputs across different seasons and environmental conditions.\n\nField programs collected water and sediment samples to quantify contaminants including pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, PFAS, metals and microplastics. Associated environmental variables were also measured. Ecogenomic approaches were used to assess microbial assemblages and antimicrobial resistance to examine the potential ecological impacts of contaminant exposure. The project also incorporated targeted stormwater sampling associated with major flooding following Tropical Cyclone Alfred in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, providing a rare time-series dataset on contaminant mobilisation during extreme rainfall events.\n\nThe project maintained and expanded the National Outfall Database (https://nod.org.au) through continued collection, collation and reporting of wastewater treatment plant discharge data, including outfall flows, pollutant loads and associated infrastructure information. Project outputs improve the evidence base needed to inform contaminant guideline development, wastewater and stormwater management. This includes coastal marine park and Ramsar wetland management, and future assessment of ecological risks associated with contaminants of emerging concern.\n\nOutputs\n• Updates to the National Outfall Database for 2022/23, including proposed new attributes for collection [dataset]\n• Data from Gamay (Botany Bay) NSW including (1) contaminant levels in water and sediments (2) physico-chemical data; (3) microbial community and genetics composition of water and sediments [dataset]\n• Timeseries (seasonal) CEC data from wastewater effluent at Glenelg beach area (SA) [dataset]\n• [Possible] High-resolution temporal CEC data from a stormwater event in St Vincents Gulf [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.13 - Synthesizing three decades of seagrass spatial data from Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria, 2021-2022 (JCU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Synthesizing three decades of seagrass spatial data from Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nThe Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait have globally significant seagrass habitat that provide food for threatened dugong and turtle, and habitat for commercially important fish and prawns. Key to understanding, managing, mitigating risk, and monitoring seagrass in this remote region is reliable data on seagrass distribution and species composition and how these changes through time. Data on seagrass has been collected in these areas since the 1980s, but data location and storage from these efforts remains disparate, in many cases not publicly available, and in some cases has already been lost. Our study will compile, validate and synthesize historical seagrass spatial data to create a publicly available database accessible on eAtlas. This product will provide end-users with a valuable spatial resource to assist management and monitoring of seagrass in the region. \n\n(i) Identify key seagrass habitat and migration corridors for dugong and turtles in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait.\n(ii) Identify regions where seagrass information is deficient (knowledge gaps)\n(iii) create a foundations for models assessing exposure to risk (water quality and other environmental impacts, climate change, etc)\n(iv) provide essential information for management, planning, and developing long-term monitoring plans\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • seagrass data [spatial dataset]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.19 - Addressing Kakadu’s strategic marine research needs, 2023-2024 (CDU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub study - NESP MaC Project 3.19: Addressing Kakadu’s strategic marine research needs. \n\nThe Indigenous-owned lands of Kakadu National Park are World Heritage-listed and globally significant. The natural and cultural values of Kakadu are at risk from a range of threats that will intensify over time. To prioritise the management of these threats, there is a pressing need to develop a Kakadu research strategy. The NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub have already committed a project within RP2022 to work with Traditional Owners and Park managers to develop a research strategy for Kakadu National Park. Investment from the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub in RP2023 will value-add to this existing project and enable the inclusion of marine and coastal issues into this research strategy. This project will deliver a research strategy that will provide guidance on both what research needs to be done and how it should be conducted in Kakadu. The Kakadu Indigenous Research Committee (KIRC) has been operating successfully for the past 5 years and the park has been the location for several Indigenous-led research projects that demonstrated best-practice approaches for collaborative research. \n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Final technical report with updated list of Bininj/Mungguy research priorities and updated Kakadu research protocols [written]\n • Draft Kakadu research strategy and a list of priority projects [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.5 - Developing an Integrated Pest Management Framework for Feral Pigs in Coastal Environments, 2024-2026 (NAILSMA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub study - Developing an Integrated Pest Management Framework for Feral Pigs in Coastal Environments. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nFeral pig populations are recognised as a current and future threatening process across most of northern Australia’s species and ecosystems. They severely impact 1) threatened species, such as marine turtles, with up to 90% of egg and hatchling mortality attributable to feral pig predation, 2) culturally important places and 3) coastal wetlands, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. To date, feral pig control efforts across northern Australia are small-scale. What data we have suggests pig populations remain high, despite the significant annual investment in control, and there is currently no published evidence that quantifies a predictable relationship between control activities that reduce feral pig populations and the reduction of impacts in different habitat types. A new approach is needed. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a well-established approach to pest management in agricultural contexts and, over the last decade, has been successfully adapted for and applied to protecting biodiversity from invasive pest species. The aim of the project is to develop an IPM approach for effective feral pig control for biodiversity and cultural values protection, in coastal wetlands and ecosystems in northern Australia. The science-based IPM approach, informed by workshops with stakeholders and experts, will be implemented in up to three case study areas, principally by Indigenous Land and Sea management organisations and their partners, with data-driven analysis of effectiveness and recommendations for future evolution of the Strategy. This project addresses the Australian Government’s national environmental priorities through mitigating impacts on threatened species, innovation in monitoring and increasing the participation and capacity of Traditional Owners and stakeholders.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • feral pig management case study sites [spatial dataset]\n • aerial survey data and observational data [tabular, imagery]\n • model [software]\n • final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.23 - Environmental DNA for measuring offshore marine biodiversity: what can DNA in water collected from the RV Investigator tell us?, 2024-2025 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Environmental DNA for measuring offshore marine biodiversity: what can DNA in water collected from the RV Investigator tell us?\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) in seawater provides a non-extractive way to characterise marine biodiversity from genetic material shed by organisms, from microbes and plankton to invertebrates and fishes. It is an emerging tool for marine ecosystem monitoring, particularly in offshore areas where conventional sampling can be difficult, costly or environmentally disruptive.\n\nThis project collected and analysed more than 500 eDNA samples from 91 sites during the South-east Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey (SEA-MES) on RV Investigator. Samples were collected along the continental shelf between Tasmania and southern New South Wales, including sites within the South-east Marine Parks Network, providing the first comprehensive eDNA baseline for this region.\n\nThe project tested active eDNA sampling from CTD water samples and passive eDNA sampling from a deep-towed camera system. DNA metabarcoding and Tree of Life metabarcoding were used to identify biodiversity patterns across the water column and near the seafloor. Results were compared with conventional survey methods, including fish trawls, plankton sampling and deep-towed camera deployments, to assess how eDNA complements existing monitoring approaches.\n\nThe dataset revealed clear biodiversity patterns by depth, latitude, and water-column position, including higher fish diversity near the seafloor than at the surface. Comparisons with trawl and plankton data showed that eDNA provided complementary biodiversity information, supporting its use alongside existing survey methods and highlighting its value as part of integrated monitoring programs. The outputs provide a new biodiversity baseline for south-eastern Australian waters, and practical guidance on future application of eDNA techniques for offshore monitoring of marine parks and fisheries.\n\nOutputs\n• eDNA sequences with associated collection metadata (x2 voyages x50 sites) [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.5 - Scoping for an Australian Wetland Inventory: identifying knowledge gaps and solutions for mapping Australian marine and coastal wetlands, 2021-2022 (Griffith Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - \"Scoping for an Australian Wetland Inventory: identifying knowledge gaps and solutions for mapping Australian marine and coastal wetlands\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nMarine and coastal wetlands provide extensive ecosystem services—protecting shorelines, improving water quality, supporting healthy fisheries, promoting tourism, storing carbon, and holding cultural significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Like many wetlands around the world, Australian wetlands continue to be threatened, degraded, and lost due to climate change, development, and other human activities.\n\nTo support the Australian Government’s development of a national wetland inventory, this project assessed the current state of coastal wetland mapping across five key areas: seagrass, saltmarsh, intertidal macroalgae, shorebird habitat, and blue carbon. It identified major knowledge and inventory gaps through a combination of literature review and consultation with 73 end-users and experts, resulting in 25 targeted recommendations to guide future mapping and data integration.\n\nA summary of the status of mapping habitat attributes and ecosystem services such as blue carbon, coastal protection and shorebird habitat is available in the project's Final Technical Report. This report incudes recommendations to guide investment in high-demand areas and support nationally consistent wetland management and reporting to address key knowledge gaps.\n\nOutputs\n• Report reviewing and synthesising knowledge gaps in inventory mapping of marine and coastal wetlands, identifying effective solutions, and guiding subsequent research projects for enhancing wetland mapping [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 5.13 - A trophic-ecology based tool to assess and manage HAB impacts on marine ecosystems (Flinders Uni, SA DEW, SA EPA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Emerging Priorities project \"A trophic-ecology based tool to assess and manage HAB impacts on marine ecosystems\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSouth Australia’s 2025 harmful algal bloom (HAB) caused mortality across multiple trophic levels, from primary producers to top predators. This highlighted the need for tools that assess reef ecosystem condition and recovery using food-web structure, not only species counts or biomass estimates.\n\nThis Emerging Priorities project will develop a trophic integrity framework for assessing subtidal reef condition across South Australia’s marine estate. The framework will support development of a Normalised Reef Status Index (NRSI) based on relative biomass across trophic levels, using biodiversity datasets from Reef Life Survey and the Australian Temperate Reef Collaboration, along with stereo-BRUV surveys and long-term habitat, plankton and water-quality monitoring.\n\nThe project will model relationships between reef condition and environmental, disturbance and management drivers, enabling assessment of the 2025 HAB and marine heatwave impacts, recovery trajectories, and areas most vulnerable to future events. It will integrate existing and new biodiversity datasets with trophic and spatial analyses to provide a science-based assessment of subtidal reef condition.\n\nA web-based decision-support tool will be used to visualise reef condition, disturbance impacts and recovery, and to explore management options such as spatial protection, habitat restoration, fishing closures and rezoning. A technical report with management recommendations will support the SA HAB Science Program, state and Commonwealth agencies, marine park management, and public engagement.\n\nOutputs\n• Quantitative models linking trophic integrity indicators (including the NRSI) with environmental and management drivers [modelling framework]\n• Spatial prediction and vulnerability maps identifying reef areas most affected by the 2025 HAB and areas most susceptible to future disturbance events [dataset]\n• Interactive web-based decision-support dashboard for visualising reef condition, disturbance impacts and recovery trajectories, with scenario-testing functionality [tool]\n• Final technical report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 6.1 - Cumulative spatial risk assessments for Australia’s marine turtles – north-west Kimberley, 2026 (WGAC)","recordAbstract":"This project aims to determine where green and flatback turtles are nesting along the NW Kimberley Coastline and what pressures they face, as this region was recognised by DCCEEW as one of the six priority areas vulnerable to climate change. Using a large aerial imagery dataset captured during the 2023-2024 summer and winter nesting seasons, this project will map nesting sites and assess their vulnerability to climate threats. Led by the Wunambal Gaamberra Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC), this project includes a primary workshop with Traditional Owners in community to guide conservation priorities in the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) and other conservation estates. Outcomes will support the identification of DCCEEW’s Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) and inform spatial planning and conservation decisions. It aligns with national priorities under the NESP2 guidelines by addressing climate vulnerability, supporting the recovery of threatened species, and empowering Indigenous environmental management.\n\nPlanned Outputs:\n•\tNesting turtle track locations along the northwest Kimberley coastline from aerial imagery [spatial dataset]\n•\tTemperature logger data along north Kimberley coastline at turtle nesting depths [tabular data]\n•\tWunambal Gaambera participatory mapping of sensitive and areas of concern and cultural importance along the northern Kimberley Coastline to feed into improved Biological Important Areas [restricted spatial dataset under an access control plan]\n•\tFinal technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.3 - Unbroken whispers: the ripples connecting sea kin (UoW)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Unbroken whispers: the ripples connecting sea kin\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nWhales and dolphins are culturally significant species for many Aboriginal nations, particularly in south-eastern Australia, with relationships expressed through song, dance, rock art, stories and contemporary artworks. Indigenous ecological knowledge can provide important understanding of species relationships, migration, ecological change and responsibilities to Sea Country, but has not traditionally been considered in the protection and recovery of EPBC-listed threatened and migratory whales and dolphins.\n\nThis Indigenous-led project will identify, document and share, where culturally appropriate, Indigenous knowledge and cultural connections relating to southern right whales, humpback whales, orca and dolphins. The project will explore relationships between land, sea and sky, and cultural responsibilities connected to kinship, species recovery and Sea Country governance.\n\nProject activities will include establishment of an Indigenous Cultural Connections Reference Group to provide cultural and spiritual leadership; a desktop review of anthropological records, oral histories and language; and co-designed on-Country gatherings following the annual whale migration pathway from K’gari to Lunawanna-allonah and Encounter Bay. Gatherings will include yarning circles, artistic workshops and on-Country learning.\n\nOutputs will include culturally appropriate knowledge-sharing products such as artworks, written stories, images, video and a technical report. The project will support Indigenous communities and organisations to strengthen cultural governance of Sea Country, share intergenerational knowledge, and identify opportunities for Indigenous knowledge to inform policy, recovery planning and conservation management for threatened and migratory whales and dolphins.\n\nOutputs\n• Short project videos\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.25 - Sawfish bycatch mitigation workshop for northern Australian fisheries, 2021-2022 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Sawfish bycatch mitigation workshop for northern Australian fisheries\".\n\nThe project will coordinate a workshop with state and commonwealth fishery managers, fisheries biologists, researchers, DAWE recovery plan team, NGO’s and traditional owners to understand the issues around sawfish bycatch and develop methods to improve data recording to enable estimates of sawfish catch rates. The long-term goal of the meeting is to develop a nationwide monitoring strategy for sawfish that will enable DAWE to assess the status of sawfish and assess the effectiveness of the recovery plan actions and whether mitigation measures are having an impact on sawfish populations.\n\n# Outputs\n• Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]\n• A graphical summary of the workshops was developed by Dr Sue Pillians [images]. These area available under a Creative Commons Non-commerical license."}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.5 - Evaluation of recreational fishing behaviour, use, values and motivations that relate to compliance, 2022-2023 (UTAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Evaluation of recreational fishing behaviour, use, values and motivations that relate to compliance\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nRecreational fishing is an important leisure activity in Australia that delivers important social and economic benefits to the community. As the largest and most widely dispersed natural resource-based recreational activity in the country, it is subject to management strategies including bag limits, quotas, and no-take zones. Given the prohibitive cost of deploying compliance officers to monitor Australia’s vast marine estate, strategies are needed to encourage voluntary compliance from fishers.\n\nThis project explored behavioural interventions to promote self-compliance among recreational fishers, focusing on no-take zones within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and two Commonwealth parks off Western Australia (Geographe and Two Rocks). The research distributed more than 800 online surveys, followed up by focus groups and analysis to examine how demographics, motivations and fishing patterns influence fishers' intentions to comply with zoning rules.\n\nSurvey insights were used to pilot a new targeted approach to awareness campaigns. Using behavioural segmentation, the project tailored messaging to specific audience types and tested these via GBRMPA social media channels. The project also examined perceptions of compliance visibility and found fishers were more likely to comply when uniformed officers were present and engaged directly at ramps or on water.\n\nThe project outcomes provide a foundation for evidence-based behavioural interventions and targeted communication campaigns. It delivers a proof of concept for scalable, audience-specific behaviour change approaches that can be refined, implemented, and evaluated in future research.\n\nOutputs\n• Fact sheet - characterising recreational fishing population [written]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.29 b – NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study: New approaches to monitoring (2022) (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study: New approaches to monitoring. \n\nObservations of marine species have rapidly diversified over the last decade with increasing numbers of observations collected either through citizen science programs or opportunistically by citizens and then submitted into public databases. The expectation of citizens contributing those data is that the data is incorporated into formal analyses and utilised either for scientific or management purposes, with outcomes that improve current understanding and conservation of marine species. Further, there is increasing reliance on more informal and publicly driven approaches to the collection of observations given the costs of conducting formal surveys particularly if accessing remote regions, or if repetition of collection (across seasons or years) is needed.\n\nIntegrating opportunistic observations with more formally collected observations (e.g. those collected through robust survey designs), however, is not straightforward. Traditional approaches to estimating population abundance, changes in species assemblages, abundances and distributions through time require some understanding of the effort associated with those observations and how that effort is also distributed through time; information that is missing from opportunistic observations, given the nature of those observations. Further, many opportunistically collected datasets do not meet the statistical assumptions of many analytical approaches that might be applied to scientific datasets. As a result, opportunistic observations are underutilised at present and are largely only used qualitatively within research applications. \n\nTo take full advantage of this rapidly expanding resource and ensure that efforts associated with the collection of these observations are not wasted, methods that can integrate opportunistically collected data with scientific datasets are needed.\n\nThis project represents the first stage in developing integrative methods. It will bring together data holders, quantitative ecologists and statisticians to explore potential approaches that might be applied to facilitate the integration of opportunistic datasets with scientific datasets. In doing so, it will identify what datasets might be best suited to the development of integrative approaches (and what might not) and outline a pathway for developing those methods that could be implemented through a future project\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Workshop\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.21 - Assessing the condition of natural values within priority temperate Australian Marine Parks to evaluate management effectiveness (IMAS, UWA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Assessing the condition of natural values within priority temperate Australian Marine Parks to evaluate management effectiveness\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralian Marine Parks cover almost half of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone and are managed using an adaptive management framework that requires robust ecological data to assess the condition and trend of natural values. Standardised long-term monitoring is critical for evaluating management effectiveness, understanding emerging pressures, and guiding future investment in park management.\n\nThis project undertook ecological surveys across continental shelf habitats within Geographe, South-west Corner, Beagle, Hunter, and Kimberley Marine Parks. Surveys targeted priority long-term monitoring locations identified by Parks Australia, and were designed to collect comparable biological and ecological data relevant to management effectiveness assessment.\n\nMonitoring followed nationally standardised methods from the NESP Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters (https://doi.org/10.11636/9781925848755). Demersal fishes and sharks were surveyed using stereo-BRUVs and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs); mobile invertebrates using traps; sessile invertebrates, seagrass and macroalgal communities using ROVs and drop cameras; and shallow/mesophotic coral reef ecosystems using ROVs supplemented with stereo-BRUVs.\n\nSurvey outputs included new baseline and repeat observations of natural values, biodiversity, habitat condition, species size structure and coral bleaching impacts. The data support assessment of ecological condition and trends, evaluation of pressures including climate change and marine heatwaves, and development of monitoring indicators and reporting protocols linked to Parks Australia’s Management Effectiveness framework.\n\nThe project collaborated with Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger groups, including the Wadandi Ranger Program, Undalup Association and Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation, supporting two-way knowledge exchange and Indigenous participation in Sea Country monitoring and management.\n\nOutputs\n• Fish scoring data from BRUV, BOSS and ROV platforms [dataset]\n• Benthic imagery with annotations from ROV and drop camera platforms [dataset]\n• Lobster catch data [dataset]\n• Spatially-referenced highlight videos/imagery for communication purposes [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.6 - Mapping critical Australian sea lion habitat to assess ecological value and risks to population recovery, 2022-2024 (SARDI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Mapping critical Australian sea lion habitat to assess ecological value and risks to population recovery\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralian sea lion populations have declined by more than 60% over the past four decades. Abundance and trends vary markedly across the species range, suggesting that localised risk profiles from threats - such as bycatch, marine pollution, and habitat degradation - vary at small spatial scales. Fine scale variation in habitat use is thought to underpin these differences, yet knowledge about Australian sea lion's dependency on key habitats and their vulnerability to human impacts is limited.\n\nThis project deployed compact animal-borne cameras with GPS and motion sensors on eight adult female sea lions at two key colonies: Seal Bay (Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park) and Olive Island (Western Eyre Marine Park). The devices recorded nearly 80 hours of footage over 560 km of seabed, identifying six distinct benthic habitat types, including previously unmapped rocky reefs and kelp forests.\n\nThe footage was used to develop fine-scale habitat maps using machine learning models, providing a valuable baseline for assessing ecological value, foraging intensity, and the effectiveness of protected areas. This innovative approach complements traditional seafloor mapping and offers a scalable, cost-effective method for locating and monitoring critical habitats for endangered marine species.\n\nThe results directly inform recovery planning, fisheries management, marine park design, and the identification of Biologically Important Areas. Ongoing camera deployments at Seal Bay and new sites along the western Eyre Peninsula will improve understanding of sea lion colony-specific behaviours and contribute to long-term monitoring of habitat change, diet, and emerging threats.\n\nOutputs\n• Tracking data from sea lion-deployed tags: location, depth, time, temperature, light, acceleration [dataset]\n• Timestamped video footage from sea lion-deployed cameras [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.10 - De-risking nature repair activities in Australian coastal and marine ecosystems, 2024-2026 (CSIRO, JCU, Uni of Melbourne)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"De-risking nature repair activities in Australian coastal and marine ecosystems\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nCoastal and marine ecosystems provide shoreline protection, water quality improvement, biodiversity habitat, tourism, carbon storage, and cultural values. In Australia, many of these systems have been degraded, while national and international commitments are increasing the need to scale up restoration and nature-based solutions (“nature repair”) in a coordinated and evidence-based way.\n\nThis project supported coastal and marine nature repair at scales relevant to national biodiversity and climate commitments by updating national stocktakes, compiling an evidence base, and scoping a coordinated framework for future investment and delivery. Existing databases, including the Australian Coastal Restoration Network and Living Shorelines Australia, were updated to improve information on restoration location, habitat type, intervention approach and outcomes.\n\nEvidence on effectiveness, risks and success measures was compiled across ecological, engineering, environmental, legal/governance, socio-economic, Indigenous and regional case-study themes. Engagement with DCCEEW, state governments, non-profit agencies, Indigenous communities, researchers and practitioners informed a forward-looking framework covering objectives, site and action selection, risks and liabilities, decision-support tools, technical guidance, monitoring and evaluation, and Indigenous co-design and leadership.\n\nThe project outputs provide a framework to assist managers, funders and practitioners to understand where restoration has occurred, what approaches have been used, what risks need to be managed, and what evidence is available to guide future investment. This supports more coordinated planning and delivery of coastal and marine nature repair, including activities linked to blue carbon, biodiversity protection, and emerging nature repair markets.\n\nOutputs\n• Updates to Australian Coastal Restoration Network database, and the Living Shorelines Australia database [dataset]\n• Draft national framework for coordinated nature repair [written]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.7 - Identifying and overcoming barriers to coastal and marine habitat restoration and Nature based Solutions in Australia, 2023 (CSIRO, JCU, Melbourne Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project 3.7 – Identifying and overcoming barriers to coastal and marine habitat restoration and Nature based Solutions in Australia. No data outputs are planned for this project.\n--------------------\n\nThere is an increasing need for coastal and marine restoration around Australia to help address habitat and biodiversity loss, water quality decline, invasive species impacts, and coastal inundation and erosion; and to identify blue carbon opportunities. However, broader uptake of restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia is constrained by policy and legislative barriers, limited adoption within engineering practice, and insufficient inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in project design and delivery.\n\nThis project examined barriers and opportunities for scaling marine and coastal restoration and nature-based solutions across three themes: (1) regulatory and permitting pathways; (2) engineering sector adoption, and (3) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design. The approach built on earlier work through Marine and Coastal Hub Project 1.6 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/1-6/) which identified a clear need for coordinated, landscape-scale restoration and greater support for nature-based approaches.\n\nResearch reviews of approval and permitting processes were conducted in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia, with a focus on oyster reef restoration and tidal reintroduction for wetland restoration. Consultation was undertaken with Commonwealth and state agencies, the national Wetland and Aquatic Ecosystems Task Force, restoration practitioners, non-government organisations, engineering and environmental consultancies, and Indigenous groups involved in restoration activities.\n\nWorkshop and consultation findings were translated into practical guidance and framework materials for governments, practitioners and restoration proponents. These outputs provide a basis for clearer approval pathways, greater confidence in nature-based solutions within coastal engineering, and more inclusive restoration planning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.\n\nOutputs\n • Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature-based solutions in Australia [project summary - written]\n • A blueprint for overcoming barriers to the use of nature-based coastal protection in Australia [written]\n • Legislative permitting processes for restoration [written]\n • Pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design in restoration [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.4 - Characterising natural values and identifying indicators and metrics in South-west Corner Marine Park, 2021-2022 (UWA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - \"Characterising natural values and identifying indicators and metrics in South-west Corner Marine Park\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nInventory surveys of Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) provide a broad description of the natural assets that exist in Commonwealth waters. These data can be further explored to identify biological indicators and metrics to cost-effectively monitor the AMPs and inform the AMP Monitoring Evaluation Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system.\n\nHistorical surveys conducted under the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub inventoried natural values and ecosystem components in selected AMPs. They developed and tested standardised survey techniques to allows scientists and park managers to identify and measure the status of natural values and ecosystem components. A recent Marine Biodiversity Hub survey conducted detailed bathymetric and visual sampling of key seafloor habitat and fish assemblages in the Capes region of South-west Corner Marine Park (Western Australia). \n\nThis project analysed the Capes survey data to characterise and predict the broader distribution of natural values and ecosystem features, and to identify relevant indicators of fish and benthic assemblages for Park management. The results are presented alongside summaries of existing knowledge on natural, socio-economic, and cultural values, as well as human pressures. Recommendations include establishing national and international monitoring benchmarks and incorporating survey guidance from Traditional Owners.\n\nOutputs\n• Habitat annotations for AUV & drop camera imagery [dataset]\n• Habitat map using existing fine-scale bathymetry coverage (validated by drop camera surveys) [dataset]\n• Annotations of fish and shark size, abundance and diversity from stereo-BRUV deployments [dataset]\n• Science communication article for the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas [written]\n• South-west Corner Marine Park survey report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.3 - Guiding the sustainable development of offshore renewables and other emerging marine industries in Australia, 2023-2024 (AIMS, Deakin Uni)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Guiding the sustainable development of offshore renewables and other emerging marine industries in Australia\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralia is entering a phase of rapid offshore renewable energy development, particularly offshore wind, with priority areas identified across the western, southern and eastern coasts. Regulatory assessment under the EPBC Act and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act requires accessible environmental, cultural and monitoring information to support socially and ecologically sustainable development.\n\nThis project established inventories of existing environmental and cultural data, best-practice monitoring standards, and impact-related literature for continental shelf waters associated with Australia’s six priority offshore wind regions: Hunter and Illawarra, Gippsland, Southern Ocean, Bass Strait, and the Indian Ocean off Bunbury. The process was guided by an Offshore Renewable Energy Program Steering Committee with representatives from DCCEEW, NOPSEMA and Marine and Coastal Hub partners.\n\nThe work ran in parallel with a related NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-21) focused on the confirmed area of declaration for ORE off the east Gippsland coast, Victoria. Together, both projects were guided by an Offshore Renewable Energy Program Steering Committee comprising representatives from DCCEEW, NOPSEMA and Marine and Coastal Hub partners.\n\nFocus areas of the data inventory were:\n\n• Seabed geomorphology, bathymetry, sedimentology, and habitat characterisation;\n• Oceanographic features and coastal processes;\n• Priority threatened, migratory, and marine species and habitats;\n• Potential impacts during installation, operation, and decommissioning;\n• Indigenous communities and cultural values affected by ORE development areas;\n• Monitoring needs and associated best practices.\n\nProject outputs included four database inventories with more than 500 publications across 16 impact types, seabed and oceanographic information, and tabulated summaries and mapped extents of priority species relevant to ORE assessment.\n\nThe compiled data inventories identified major data and management gaps, including limited high-resolution bathymetry, geomorphology and biological survey data; inconsistent data acquisition standards; limited FAIR access to threatened species data; and the need for coordinated research investment and early Traditional Owner engagement. Outputs from the project will support environmental assessment, mitigation and monitoring of offshore wind impacts, standardisation of data collection methodologies, cumulative impact assessment, and regulatory decision-making under the EPBC and OEI Acts.\n\nOutputs\n• Inventory of existing information and associated sources for the following thematic areas: seabed geomorphology and habitat, oceanography, species and habitats, affected indigenous communities, ongoing monitoring needs and associated best practices, potential impacts of installation and operation [data inventories]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.21 - Identifying priority datasets of relevance to the Gippsland declaration area and pathways for their use in guiding decision-making, 2023-2024 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Identifying priority datasets of relevance to the Gippsland declaration area and pathways for their use in guiding decision-making\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nOffshore renewable energy is rapidly developing in Australian waters, creating an immediate need for efficient access to relevant environmental data for assessment and regulation. In the Gippsland declared area, Commonwealth agencies require information on threatened and migratory species to support evidence-based decisions, identify data gaps, and guide future research and monitoring.\n\nThis project rapidly assessed the availability, accessibility, and utility of data and information for 15 priority species of seabirds, shorebirds, and marine mammals identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA in relation to the Gippsland offshore renewable energy area. The assessment considered species presence and occurrence, distribution and movement, habitat use, population dynamics, and behavioural information relevant to potential interactions during construction, operation, and decommissioning.\n\nData and information were identified through a workshop with data holders and research users, a data holder/user survey, and literature and repository searches across the broader Bass Strait region. The project identified approximately 250 data records from 30 data holders, covering datasets such as tracking, banding, diet, presence records, population genetics, mark-recapture, species distribution models, and museum specimens. Records included information on dataset type, location, time period, owner, access pathway, associated publications, and links to source metadata or data repositories.\n\nThe collation of this data inventory improved discoverability of priority species information. It also identified barriers to data use, including isolated databases, inconsistent metadata, inaccessible formats, and limited connections between data holders and assessment users. Recommendations focused on improving FAIR data practice, collaborative data-sharing arrangements, online aggregation of assessment-relevant information, and clearer definition of priority species, impacts, and data requirements.\n\nThe outputs support offshore renewable energy assessment and regulatory processes for the Gippsland declared area, contributed key information to NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 3.3 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-3/), and provide a foundation for improving access to environmental data needed for future planning, monitoring, mitigation, and management.\n\nOutputs\n• Inventory of datasets relevant to the Gippsland OEI declaration area for priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA [data inventory]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.11 - Scaling-up long-term seagrass restoration in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, 2024-2026 (JCU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub study - Scaling-up long-term seagrass restoration in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nThere is an urgent community-driven need to develop appropriate seagrass restoration approaches at scale for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI). Fast-tracking larger-scale restoration research is required to prevent imminent collapse and functional extinction of seagrasses at CKI due to past disturbance and current green turtle grazing pressure. This project builds on pilot studies to design and establish a network of larger-scale turtle exclusion areas where locally appropriate restoration approaches can be refined. At the same time, this will provide “seagrass refuges” to initiate recovery, monitor ecological effects, and provide for future restoration efforts. The project has been co-developed with the CKI community and Parks Australia, addressing their highest research priority identified in the newly established Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park. The project will provide an action plan for ongoing interventions and strategies to future-proof local seagrasses and support seagrass-dependent species, such as green turtles and fish, in the long term.\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • exclusion zones experimental data [spatial & tabular dataset]\n • environmental monitoring dataset [tabular data]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.9 - Establishing an Indigenous led approach to coordinated vertebrate pest management in northern Australia, 2023-2024 (NAILSMA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - Project 3.9 - Establishing an Indigenous led approach to coordinated vertebrate pest management in northern Australia. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nWild livestock (particularly pigs, buffalo and cattle) are one of the primary threats to coastal ecosystem values in northern Australia. Wild livestock poses significant threats to cultural and livelihood values on Indigenous managed and owned lands and impact threatened species, water quality and other elements of biodiversity. Recent research has highlighted the importance of feral animal impacts on coastal wetlands and ecosystems that have implications for greenhouse gas accounts and other important national environmental assets such as mangrove restoration, coral reefs, marine turtle nesting and wetlands values. \nResearch is being done on feral animal impacts on several prominent and important values including carbon stocks, marine turtle depredation and sediment loads impacting coral reefs and seagrass. This research has direct relevance to regulated and voluntary carbon and biodiversity markets. The development of new carbon abatement and sequestration methodologies and associated biodiversity protection markets could lead to economic opportunities for Indigenous owned and managed assets in northern Australia. However, in the absence of Indigenous leadership in the research that underpins method development, there is a risk that the potential economic and social benefits of these new methods won’t be realised, will erode Indigenous rights and limit local participation in long term management and monitoring of threats. \n\nThis project will support the development of Indigenous led methods for feral animal management with the aim of establishing methods that account for the values and cultural boundaries that underpin activities on the Indigenous estate. We will do this research in partnership with Indigenous organisations that have long term feral animal management programs, developed with Traditional Owners and operating within the cultural and environmental boundaries of the homelands they manage. \n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Map Indigenous land management tenure across northern Australia [spatial dataset]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]\n • Research Paper [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.2 - Developing a National Indigenous Environmental Research Network – Marine and Coastal research case studies, 2023-2025 (NAILSMA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - Project 3.2 - Developing a National Indigenous Environmental Research Network – Marine and Coastal research case studies. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nThe proposed National Indigenous Environmental Research Network (NIERN) is an Indigenous-led strategic initiative to establish a community of practice that supports current environmental research needs and priorities, enhance future research agendas, mobilise investment opportunities, bolster the impact and durability of research outcomes and empower Indigenous Australians to participate in the national environmental scientific research agenda. This project will experiment with conceptual models for establishing a working NIERN to provide evidence that will guide Indigenous organisations, policy makers and researchers that aim to support Indigenous leadership and participation in environmental research. \n\nThe NESP 2020 review reported that “Indigenous peoples seek earlier involvement in land and sea country research. This means being formally included in the project design, development and delivery.” \n \nThe project team will work with Indigenous organisations, government agencies and researchers across Australia to provide a national perspective of current processes used to establish new research priorities and projects and use case studies to explore how Indigenous led approaches could augment these projects through Indigenous participation at all project stages. \n\n\nPlanned Outputs\n • Mapping dataset [spatial dataset]\n • Final technical report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.30 - National Assessment of Climate-Driven Species Redistribution using Citizen Science Data, 2021-2022 (UTAS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"National Assessment of Climate-Driven Species Redistribution using Citizen Science Data\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n\nThis project will develop a report card assessing Australian marine species to determine species that have undergone recent changes in distribution, either shifting into each state, or into new areas within states. This report card will draw upon citizen science databases (Redmap, iNaturalist, Reef Life Survey) and use a robust decision tree analysis to outline which species are shifting, and with what degree of certainty. Project objectives are to 1. draw upon citizen scientists to identify climate-driven changes within the Australian marine estate; and 2. communicate to and engage with the public on issues of climate change and biodiversity using their own citizen science information. The report card can be used to drive public interest in the NESP MAC Hub and in the status of biodiversity in Australia. \n\nOutputs\n • Summary data indicating the list of species that have undergone a range shift. This will record the old southern range, an updated old range based on new compiled historic data and the new range. [Spreadsheet dataset]\n • Species Assessment report with analysed data and a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.20 - Delivery of science to support the implementation of a marine park management effectiveness system (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Delivery of science to support the implementation of a marine park management effectiveness system\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nAustralian Marine Parks (AMPs) form one of the world’s largest marine park systems, protecting natural, cultural, social and economic values across Commonwealth waters. Parks Australia’s Management Effectiveness system supports adaptive management by assessing whether management arrangements are protecting park values and responding to changing pressures.\n\nThis project supported implementation of the Australian Marine Parks Science Plan and delivered key science needs for the 2028 National AMP management plan review. It built on previous Marine Biodiversity Hub and Marine and Coastal Hub work on natural values, pressures, cumulative impacts, monitoring priorities and management effectiveness.\n\nThe project delivered four linked outputs:\n\n1) Monitoring protocols for Tier 1 and Tier 2 priority monitoring sites, including site-specific monitoring plans, data and survey method inventories, condition indicators, pressure indicators, and partnership case studies with Traditional Owners.\n2) Improved workflows for assessing natural values, activities and pressures, including updates to pressure information, and establishment of data agreements and processes for regular updates.\n3) Assessment approaches for emerging industries, using offshore renewable energy adjacent to AMPs as a test case to identify potential impacts such as underwater noise, seabed disturbance, sediment transport, vessel interactions, displacement of existing activities, and other future uses such as decommissioning or carbon storage.\n4) Improved system-wide understanding of AMPs through collaboration with Parks Australia, state and territory marine protected area managers and fisheries managers, including opportunities to align data, indicators and management effectiveness approaches.\n\nThe outputs provided Parks Australia with a more consistent evidence base for adaptive management, management plan review, monitoring design, pressure assessment and cross-jurisdictional collaboration across Australia’s marine park system.\n\nOutputs\n• Updated national-scale spatial datasets of: (1) Natural Values Ecosystems; (2) Key Natural Values; (3) Pressures & Activities; (4) Cumulative impacts; (5) Ecosystem-level risk assessment (absolute risk) [datasets]\n• Refined list of monitoring priorities for AMPs [written]\n• Monitoring protocols for monitoring priorities [written]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.1 - Mapping temperate continental shelf seabed habitats, 2022-2023 (IMAS, UWA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Mapping temperate continental shelf seabed habitats\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nRocky reefs on Australia's temperate continental shelf support diverse ecological communities, including corals, sponges, mobile invertebrates, fish, and marine mammals. These habitats underpin important natural, economic, and cultural values and are subject to pressures from fishing, shipping, and climate change. Rocky reefs are key features of many Australian Marine Parks (AMPs), and improving knowledge of their extent and condition is essential for effective management and evaluation of conservation outcomes - particularly in offshore areas where seafloor habitat data is limited.\n\nThis project addressed knowledge gaps on the extent and distribution of seabed habitats by focusing on rocky reef systems within the South-west and South-east Marine Parks Networks. It built on previous research from the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub by collating and analysing existing seafloor data, and deploying drop cameras at priority sites (selected in consultation with Parks Australia and other end-users) to validate seafloor habitat extent and type. This new survey data was incorporated with newly developed data workflows to generate ecosystem models of reef and soft sediments, and broad-scale ecosystem classes - with a focus on workflows enabling rapid update of products and ensuring consistency across mapping outputs. These data products directly support NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.3 (Improving knowledge transfer for AMP management).\n\nThe project team worked with Indigenous Rangers and organisations in the South-west region to identify opportunities for collaboration, incorporate cultural knowledge into research design, and support knowledge exchange through field-based activities and on-country engagement. The project aimed to strengthen both established and emerging relationships, building on existing collaborations between University of Western Australia (UWA) researchers and the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) on complementary projects. UWA had also previously partnered with the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC), in consultation with the South West Boojarah (now Karri Karrak) and the Undalup Association, to support cultural mapping and biodiversity surveys under the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub. These partnerships informed the project’s cultural engagement approach and laid the groundwork for ongoing collaboration.\n\nOutcomes of this work included improved capacity for AMP managers to identify and monitor rocky reef habitats and key natural values, assess management effectiveness, and support initiatives such as marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based fisheries management, and contribute to emerging frameworks such as ocean accounting. It also helped to guide the targeting of future surveys, particularly in ecosystems with high conservation value. \n\nOutputs\n• Seafloor imagery and annotations [dataset]\n• Predicted 'ecosystem component' habitat maps for the temperate continental shelf [dataset]\n• Predicted reef and sediment extent map for the temperate continental shelf [dataset]\n• Final technical report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.9 - Assessing the vulnerability of southern right whale and blue whale populations to disturbance from windfarm developments, 2024-2025 (UQ)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Assessing the vulnerability of southern right whale and blue whale populations to disturbance from windfarm developments\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nOffshore renewable energy (ORE) development is expanding in Australian waters. This includes regions that overlap with feeding and breeding areas for Endangered blue whales and southern right whales. Underwater noise from construction and operation of offshore wind infrastructure may affect whale behaviour, energetics and reproduction, requiring assessment of potential population-level consequences under the EPBC Act.\n\nThis desktop study used available data and expert elicitation to develop interim Population Consequences of Disturbance (iPCoD) models for blue whales and southern right whales in relation to one or multiple offshore wind developments off Portland and Gippsland, Victoria. The modelling followed a decision pathway that considered spatial and temporal overlap with whale populations, the proportion of populations affected, life stages and reproductive phases exposed, and the likelihood of repeated disturbance.\n\nThe models were used to assess the timing, location and potential cumulative effects of underwater noise at a regional scale. Outputs identified high-risk species and scenarios, priority data gaps, research needs, and mitigation requirements needed to reduce the likelihood of compromised population viability.\n\nThe iPCoD framework can be updated as new data become available and integrated with other modelling approaches. The framework is relevant for risk assessment against other ocean-based activities such as seismic surveys oil and gas infrastructure, and carbon capture and storage. The project outputs support offshore wind assessment and regulation, species recovery planning, and development of underwater noise guidance.\n\nOutputs\n• iPCoD model outputs [dataset]\n• Final Project Report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.14 - Enhancing monitoring approaches to evaluate the abundance, life history and critical habitats of the endangered Australian sea lion (SARDI, DBCA)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Enhancing monitoring approaches to evaluate the abundance, life history and critical habitats of the endangered Australian sea lion\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is Australia’s only endemic pinniped and is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act. Populations have declined by more than 60% over the past 40 years and are vulnerable to threats including fisheries bycatch, disease, pollution, marine debris entanglement and climate change. Improving knowledge of abundance, demography and critical habitat use is essential for evaluating threats and guiding recovery actions, but is difficult due to the species’ breeding biology, longevity, seafloor foraging behaviour and use of remote breeding sites.\n\nThis project developed and applied cost-effective methods to improve monitoring of Australian sea lion populations, particularly in under-surveyed regions exposed to anthropogenic pressures. It included four linked components: (1) helicopter and remote-camera surveys of breeding sites in the Recherche Archipelago; (2) drone surveys of selected breeding and haul-out sites in Western Australia and South Australia; (3) processing and analysis of long-term demographic data from the microchipped Seal Bay population; and (4) continued deployment of underwater cameras to identify habitat use, foraging behaviour and potential risks.\n\nThe project was co-designed with Indigenous partners, including Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation, Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation and Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation. Indigenous partners contributed to delivery of project components, including drone-based monitoring and field activities, supporting Indigenous leadership in the use of new technologies for sea lion monitoring and Healthy Country management.\n\nOutputs included updated abundance and breeding-site information, validated drone survey methods, improved workflows for demographic analysis, and additional animal-borne camera data on critical habitats. These data and methods support implementation of the Australian Sea Lion Recovery Plan, long-term state government monitoring, assessment of cumulative impacts and recovery actions, and conservation planning linked to Sea Country values.\n\nOutputs\n• Qualitative and qualitative spatial assessments of breeding sites from helicopter surveys in Recherche Archipelago [dataset]\n• Drone-collected photogrammetry, FLIR, thermal imaging and LiDAR data [dataset]\n• Demographic results from analysis of Seal Bay microchipping program [dataset]\n• Tracking data from sea lion-deployed tags: location, depth, time, temperature, light, acceleration [dataset]\n• Timestamped video footage from sea lion-deployed cameras [dataset]\n• Short non-technical summaries to distil the key findings and take-home messages [written]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.15 - Monitoring, aggregation areas and approaches to improve data effectiveness for southern right whale conservation, 2023-2026 (Murdoch Uni, Flinders Uni, ECU)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Monitoring, aggregation areas and approaches to improve data effectiveness for southern right whale conservation\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSouthern right whales are listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and are recovering slowly from historical whaling. In Australia, recovery differs between the growing western population and the more poorly understood eastern population, where available data are largely opportunistic. Improved abundance estimates, photo-identification workflows, aggregation-area assessment, and understanding of connectivity are needed to support conservation management.\n\nThis project delivered priority information for southern right whale conservation through four linked components:\n(1) long-term aerial surveys of the western population;\n(2) expansion and integration of photo-identification datasets within the Australian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC);\n(3) development of statistical approaches to combine opportunistic and systematic observations; and\n(4) collection of movement and genomic data to assess connectivity between eastern and western subpopulations.\n\nThe project continued annual aerial surveys from Perth to Ceduna to update abundance trends and reproductive parameters for the western population. Photo-identification images and metadata were collated from archived, targeted, and opportunistic sources across eastern and western aggregation areas, supporting matching of individual whales, assessment of reproductive areas, and estimation of population parameters.\n\nThe project also developed methods to expand the use of opportunistic sightings data alongside systematically collected observations, improving capacity to estimate population size, trends, recovery rates, residency, site fidelity, and connectivity. Movement, photo-identification, and genomic data collected near the boundary of the eastern and western subpopulations, particularly around Encounter Bay and adjacent waters, supported assessment of population structure, whale movements, habitat use, and potential exposure to human activities.\n\nThe outputs of this project support updates to the national Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan, Biologically Important Area (BIA) mapping, marine park management, and risk assessments for marine industries and tourism. Consultation and engagement with Indigenous groups in South Australia and Western Australia enabled communication of research goals and findings, supported knowledge sharing, and identified opportunities for collaboration and capacity building linked to southern right whale conservation.\n\nOutputs\n• Individual whale photo-identifications in aggregation areas [ARWPIC image catalogue]\n• Aerial survey data for 2023, 2024, 2026 [dataset]\n• Exposure to single and cumulative threats [dataset]\n• Whale tracking tracking, behaviour, and dive data [dataset]\n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.3 - Support for Parks Australia’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement System for Australian Marine Parks, 2021-2022 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - \"Support for Parks Australia’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement System for Australian Marine Parks\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nThe system of marine parks that spans Australia’s Commonwealth waters is among the largest in the world. These parks play a major role in conserving marine life, supporting commercial and recreational activities, and protecting cultural values significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Parks Australia has developed management plans for five regional Australian Marine Park (AMP) networks (North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East) and the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP). Under each management plan, a science plan sets priorities for monitoring and research to evaluate management effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. This prioritisation is vital given the limited knowledge across many AMPs, the technical challenges and high costs of science in remote areas, and the finite resources available for park management.\n\nBuilding on foundational work from the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub (projects SS2 and D7), this project delivered the scientific and technical advice needed to establish monitoring priorities for natural values and pressures across all AMP networks and the CSMP—completing a full national priority list for monitoring. It applied a nationally consistent four-step prioritisation framework that considered ecological importance, vulnerability to pressures, baseline data availability, and logistical feasibility. The project also updated the National Ecosystem model and Pressures & Activities datasets, conducted expert vulnerability assessments, and produced a Relative Cumulative Impact index. The combined research delivers a nationally accepted \"common language\" to describe natural values and pressures and a science-based method to derive monitoring priorities, aligned with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system—an adaptive management framework that is globally unique and a significant step towards adaptive, integrated, place-based management.\n\nKey outputs include a national database of environmental and human-use data for each management region and a refined list of monitoring priorities for each AMP Network and the CSMP. The findings highlight major knowledge gaps—particularly in the distribution of mesophotic and rariphotic reefs, intertidal ecosystems, and recreational fishing impacts—and provide guidance for improving baseline data and pressure assessments. The prioritisation framework and data products developed through this project can be re-generated over time alongside improvements in the evidence base and our understanding of how ecosystems respond to multi-sectoral activities to support continual improvement in iterative, evidence-based park management and environmental outcomes.\n\nOutputs\n• Digital map layers per AMP network of:\n(1) Ecosystems; \n(2) Pressures & Activities; and\n(3) Cumulative Benthic & Pelagic Impacts\n• Final Technical Report containing maps of Key Natural Values, and of spatial Monitoring Priorities, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 4.8 - Potential impacts of offshore wind developments on eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whales, 2024-2025 (AIMS)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project \"Potential impacts of offshore wind developments on eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whales\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nPygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) are listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC 1999). Their distribution and Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) overlap with regions proposed for offshore renewable energy development in western and south-eastern Australia, creating a need to assess potential impacts alongside existing pressures such as shipping, oil and gas activity, vessel strike, underwater noise and habitat disturbance.\n\nThis project mapped the distribution and core foraging and migratory areas of eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whales by combining satellite tracking data with auxiliary information from aerial surveys, marine mammal observer records, and existing habitat suitability models. These spatial products were overlaid with proposed offshore renewable energy areas, BIAs, Australian Marine Park boundaries, and spatial pressures layers. A cumulative impact framework was used to identify areas of higher risk and potential lower-impact reference sites.\n\nThe project outputs support regulators, proponents and government agencies in assessing and mitigating potential offshore renewable energy impacts on pygmy blue whales. The results contribute to cumulative risk assessment, blue whale recovery planning, future BIA review, monitoring design, and prioritisation of future research and data collection.\n\nOutputs\n• Spatial layers quantifying the relative distribution including migratory corridors and foraging areas across the known eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whale range [dataset]\n• Spatial layers of habitat suitability distribution [dataset]\n• Spatial layers for human activities identified as key pressures in this study [dataset]\n• Spatial layers of cumulative impact score across the species' range including potential threats from ORE and existing threats from other industries [dataset] \n• Final project report [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 2.2 - Advancing national standards and best practices to monitor key marine values and pressures, 2022-2024 (NSW DPI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project \"Advancing national standards and best practices to monitor key marine values and pressures\". No data outputs were generated by this project.\n--------------------\n\nStandardised approaches to marine monitoring are critical for ensuring data consistency, transparency, and comparability across time, regions, and sectors. The development and application of national standards and best practices provide the foundation for monitoring the condition of Australia’s marine estate. As pressures on the marine environment increase, so too does the need for robust, inclusive, and nationally consistent monitoring practices.\n\nThis project advanced the development and implementation of national best-practice standards to monitor the condition of priority values and pressures across Australia's marine estate. It built on previous work conducted by the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub through the release of Version 3 of the Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters. This version introduced three new manuals for: (1) sampling microplastics in marine and coastal environments; (2) conducting knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) surveys with recreational marine users; and (3) use of the Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS), a novel multi-camera drop platform for benthic imagery. Indigenous partners contributed to the development of the KAP and BOSS manuals, laying the foundation for future Indigenous-led monitoring initiatives.\n\nThe project identified key barriers to adoption of the field manuals and developed a set of recommendations, included nominating the manuals for international endorsement, establishing governance mechanisms, securing long-term funding, and identifying priorities for future SOP development, such as offshore renewable energy monitoring. All materials were aligned with the Ocean Best Practices System to facilitate national and international uptake.\n\nA practical implementation plan was developed to guide the future development and maintenance of national standards; promote their broader adoption; and assess their effectiveness and impact in delivering priority monitoring activities.\n\nOutputs\n• Workshop and questionnaire report gauging the needs of scientists, Indigenous communities, and marine managers [written]\n• Scientific publication on marine best practice development [written]\n• New national standards for (1) drop cameras; (2) socioeconomic surveys; and (3) microplastics studies [written]\n• Implementation plan (final report) [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 1.23 - Conservation of spotted handfish, 2021-2022 (CSIRO)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - \"Conservation of spotted handfish\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nSpotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) were once common across the bays and estuaries of South-eastern Tasmania. By 1996, however, populations had declined and the species was listed as Critically Endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The species is relatively short-lived, (5–10 years) and matures at more than two years’ old. This leaves a short window for reproduction, which relies on egg masses laid on seafloor structures such as stalked ascidians. If spawning fails, population declines may occur rapidly. With no planktonic life stage to aid dispersal, and low adult dispersal, outside recruitment to re-establish collapsed populations is unlikely.\n\nAnalysis of 23 years of Spotted Handfish survey data (1997–2019) supported by previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub work (Project A10) helped develop a time-series of survey data, increasing biological understanding and contributing to effective management actions. This project recommenced surveys of multiple local populations, after a two-year gap, to ensure that the potential impacts of development of the Derwent estuary and surrounds handfish populations or their habitats can be detected. Included in the population surveying was identification of suitable locations to plant Artificial Spawning Habitats (ASH) where natural spawning structures have declined. This will continue to support the species' captive breeding program with industry and foster engagement with the indigenous and broader community through participation, talks, outreach, publications, and the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT).\n\nOutputs\n• A consolidated database of all available data on spotted handfish imagery, length frequency, and GPS regions to 2022 [time-series database]\n• Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]"}
- {"title":"NESP MaC Project 3.13 - Eastern Grey Nurse Shark population abundance and trend, 2023-2025 (CSIRO, NSW DPI)","recordAbstract":"This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project \"Eastern Grey Nurse Shark population abundance and trend\". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.\n--------------------\n\nGrey nurse sharks are a nationally significant threatened species, with Australia’s eastern population listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act. The Recovery Plan for the Grey Nurse Shark identifies the need for robust estimates of abundance, population trend, age structure, survival and range, particularly where conservation measures such as spatial closures and protection of aggregation sites are in place.\n\nThis project refined abundance and trend estimates for the eastern Australian grey nurse shark population by combining biopsy sampling, genetic analysis, stereo-video length measurement and statistical modelling. Tissue samples from more than 300 sharks were analysed using close-kin mark-recapture methods to identify family relationships and estimate adult population size. Stereo-video measurements supported improved age estimation using Australian-specific length-at-age models, reducing reliance on overseas growth data.\n\nFindings from the project provide a stronger evidence base for Australian and New South Wales government decision-making on grey nurse shark recovery and conservation. Refined estimates of adult abundance and population trend (described in the Final Project Report) enables reduced uncertainty in recovery assessments, and supports evaluation of current management arrangements, including spatial protections for aggregation sites.\n\nOutputs\n• Final project report [written]"}
