Biodiversity

Reef Life Survey

Reef Life Survey (RLS) aims to improve biodiversity conservation and the sustainable management of marine resources. This is achieved by coordinating surveys of rocky and coral reefs using scientific methods. The ultimate goal of RLS is to improve coastal stewardship.

This information is used to track changing ecosystems, allowing managers and scientists to better understand how human society affects the marine environment, and to identify better ways forward to reduce threats.

National Environmental Science Programme Marine Biodiversity Hub

The Marine Biodiversity Hub is a collaborative partnership supported through funding from the Australian Government, administered by the Department of the Environment.

The Marine Biodiversity Hub will research Australian oceans and marine environments, including temperate coastal water quality and marine species, with funding of $23.88 million through the University of Tasmania, led by Professor Nic Bax.

Predicting biodiversity in the Antarctic

Southern Ocean and Antarctic marine ecosystems are unique both in terms of environmental conditions and biological characteristics.

Marine systems face pressures from a range of sources including pollution, fishing, invasive species and, not least, a changing climate. Accordingly, the importance of managing ecosystems and their associated biodiversity is recognised by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Integral to our ability to manage biodiversity and predict how it may be affected by future scenarios, is a robust understanding of current patterns in the spatial distribution of biodiversity and how these patterns relate to environmental drivers.