Research Project
Researchers:
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australian Government
(Resource provider of)
,
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australian Government
(Resource provider of)
,
Emma Flukes
(Point of contact)
,
Emma Flukes
(Point of contact)
,
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS)
(Associated with)
View all 6 related researchers
Full description 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.
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Rocky 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.
This 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).
The 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.
Outcomes 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.
Outputs
• Seafloor imagery and annotations [dataset]
• Predicted 'ecosystem component' habitat maps for the temperate continental shelf [dataset]
• Predicted reef and sediment extent map for the temperate continental shelf [dataset]
• Final technical report [written]
Lineage Maintenance and Update Frequency: asNeeded
Notes
Credit
Jacquomo Monk (UTAS), Neville Barrett (UTAS), Vanessa Lucieer (UTAS), JUstin Hulls (UTAS), Tim Langlois (UWA), Gary Kendrick (UWA), Sharyn Hickey (UWA), Renae Hovey (UWA), Kingsley Griffin (UWA), Brooke Gibbons (UWA), Claude Spencer (UWA), Scott Foster (CSIRO), Piers Dunstan (CSIRO), Gretchen Grammer (SARDI), Jason Tanner (SARDI)
Notes
Credit
National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Hub
Notes
Credit
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australian Government
Notes
Credit
In addition to NESP (DCCEEW) funding, this project is matched by an equivalent amount of in-kind support and co-investment from project partners and collaborators.
Notes
Purpose
To fill gaps in knowledge of the extent and distribution of seabed habitats on Australia’s temperate continental shelf.
Data time period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-12-31
Monk J, Langlois T, Spencer C, Woolley S, Flukes E, Gibbons B, Bastiaansen A, Hulls J, Grammer G, Hayes K, Dunstan P, Colbung S, Reynolds R, Guilfoyle D, Lavers J, Webb IW, Webb W, Barrett N, Lucieer V (2024). Improving seabed habitat predictions for southern Australia. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Tasmania. (Final Project Report)
(Project page on NESP Marine and Coastal Hub website)
url :
https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project-2-1
(Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: NESP MaC Hub website)
url :
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/science-research/nesp/hub-marine-coastal
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- global : 214d03bc-79bd-4453-9e81-bb93e47b87e9
- DOI : 10.71676/EA5D7C5F
