NESP Marine and Coastal Hub

On #WorldWhaleDay, take a moment to appreciate these incredible creatures and efforts to safeguard them. Their recovery and protection depends on healthy oceans and evidence-based management supported by research and collaboration 🐋🤝 Research by Marine and Coastal hub partners CSIRO, Flinders University, Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University supports the recovery of Australia's Endangered southern right whale population through: ✈️ Annual aerial surveys to monitor Australia's western population 📑 Updating the Australian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue 💡 Identifying areas important to the species' reproduction 🔎 Studying movement and genetic data to learn how the eastern and western populations are connected Follow the link to learn more about this project: https://lnkd.in/giDnpB3n Video: Surveying southern right whales from the air off the coast of southern Australia. Credit: Joshua Smith. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

From navigating a confusing array of methods to co-leading the development of the Microplastics Field Manual, Dr Nina Wootton's journey is an inspiring example of women driving change in science 🌊👩🏻🔬 Her work, alongside 40 researchers from 21 institutions, contributes to ensuring the comparability of datasets in the research of microplastics in Australia. 📕The microplastics manual is one of 13 'Field manuals for marine sampling to monitor Australian waters' developed under the Marine and Coastal Hub. 🔗Find out more about Dr Wootton's story and the Field Manuals: https://lnkd.in/gKMBzkEc Nina Wootton Ocean Best Practices System #Internationaldayofwomenandgirlsinscience #MarineScience #Australia #OceanMonitoring

Wetlands are vital. They filter water, reduce the impact of floods, store carbon and provide homes for countless species. On the 2nd of February, #WorldWetlandsDay highlights their importance. The theme of this year is “Protecting wetlands for our common future”. Australia’s wetlands face many threats, including habitat loss due to development, water extraction, climate change, pollution and invasive species. Through the Marine and Coastal Hub, researchers are helping protect and restore these crucial ecosystems. Funded projects include: - A project to provide a consolidated assessment of coastal wetland mapping to develop an Australian Wetland Inventory (see: https://lnkd.in/gH7YFB7r) - A project focusing on coastal wetland restoration for blue carbon accounting and developing a values-based approach for selecting restoration sites (see: https://lnkd.in/gfxhRSVw) - A project that investigates feral ungulate control as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands (see: https://lnkd.in/gHPk-iyx) Discover more about our projects and how they’re making a difference: https://lnkd.in/gNn_tMDK Image: Pelicans at Lake Borrie wetlands, part of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site.  Image credit: Lyn Hoare, WikiMedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 #WorldWetlandsDay2025 #NESP #research #wetlands #BlueCarbon

Ease into the new year of work with the beautiful sights of seagrasses 🌿🤿 This southern fiddler ray was spotted by Pakana rangers and Hub scientists from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania and Deakin University, while mapping the seagrass beds at Furneaux/Tayaritja Islands in north-eastern Tasmania. The wealth of ecological knowledge gleaned during these surveys will contribute to the establishment of a Pakana ranger-led monitoring program. Head to the link to learn more about this project and view images showcasing exquisite habitats around the Furneaux/Tayaritja Islands: https://lnkd.in/gWVsUn5c Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre BlueCarbonLab

Pakana Rangers are working with scientists to improve our understanding of the extent and significance of seagrass beds in the proposed Tayaritja Milaythina Muka IPA. Read more about it here.

As the year draws to a close, the Marine and Coastal Hub extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported, collaborated, and contributed to our work in 2024 🙏. This year, the Hub has advanced research to better understand and protect Australia's unique marine and coastal environments. From addressing the impacts of climate change to working closely with Traditional Owners, these efforts are shaped by partnerships and shared commitments to sustainable futures 🐋. Together, we are developing innovative solutions, sharing vital knowledge, and supporting decision-makers with the tools needed to balance conservation and development. These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of the partners, researchers, and communities that make the Hub. Some of the highlights of the year can be found in our quarterly newsletters. Please give them a read if you have time and subscribe if you find them interesting: -https://lnkd.in/g9E_jVsb -https://lnkd.in/gKgDK_fa -https://lnkd.in/g6GvBdz2 -https://lnkd.in/gJzUBgFw Wishing you a safe, restful holiday season and a bright start to the new year 🎄🎇 Stay connected with us for updates on our work in the year ahead! Image description: This festive image of unique biodiversity at Eastern-Recherche Marine Park was taken by the BOSS or Boordiya in the Bibbulmun-Noongar languages of south-western Australia, at Salisbury Island, WA. This collaboration was with Cultural Custodian Dr Doc Reynolds and the Tjaltjraak Sea Country Ranger team of the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, the University of Western Australia Oceans Institute and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. #NESP #research

What was it like doing a professional placement in science communication while living on a boat for two weeks? This great story by UTAS Master of Strategic Communication student (and now hub team member) Jessica Serna Sierra shares her experience of boarding a bouncing research vessel at short notice, and capturing the action for a global audience. Read Jessica's story: https://lnkd.in/gXytAw6r

🗞️Get your holiday reading 🗞️. . . the December 2024 issue of 🐟 The Blue Drummer🥁, the newsletter of the Marine and Coastal Hub. This issue features new best-practice manuals for sampling microplastics and conducting social science surveys about marine parks. There's great imagery of dugong monitoring on Karajarri Country in the Kimberley and seagrasses at the Furneaux/Tayaritja Islands, and pathways to upscaling 🦪marine and coastal restoration. It's all about growing best-practice skills and connections among researchers, Indigenous communities and other research partners and research users. This is core business for the hub, and we're delighted to share our stories. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g9E_jVsb

High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a growing risk to livestock, wildlife, and human health, with migratory shorebirds the most likely carriers of the virus into Australia. Monitoring these birds’ movements along hotspots in the East-Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is essential for disease risk management. However, climate change and habitat loss are altering shorebirds' migration patterns, adding complexity to risk assessments. Improved understanding of the timing and routes of shorebird migrations and how they change due to global change processes will help Australia predict and prepare for potential disease incursions while supporting conservation efforts for these vulnerable bird populations. A new NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project aims to provide this insight. This project will use citizen science observations, tracking data, and advanced analysis to examine shifts in migration timing and connectivity of Australian shorebird populations along the EAAF. Essential data from tracking, banding and observation efforts by volunteer ornithologists across Australia - including groups like the Victorian Wader Study Group, Australasian Wader Studies Group, and Queensland Wader Study Group - will be central to this work. Additionally, the project aims to develop a predictive tool for shorebird migrations and potential virus transport under various scenarios of climate, habitat, and socio-economic changes. Led by Prof Marcel Klaassen and Dr Sara Ryding from Deakin University, along with Dr Simeon Lisovski from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, this project will offer important insights to guide HPAI disease risk management. Please read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/gDAzd4uT First image: Bar-tailed Godwits in Yalu Jiang National Nature Reserve in China, April 2010. Second image: Yalu Jiang National Nature Reserve in China, April 2010. Image credits: Phil Battley, Massey University. #NESP #Research #Shorebirds #HPAI #Conservation #Waders #EAAF #Migration Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Dr Megan Saunders and the Project 3.7 research team have released a new report on Pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion and co-design in restoration. Please read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g9Y98wj5