Recent datasets

The values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) are threatened by coastal development through habitat loss and runoff of sediment, nutrients and pollutants. Future coastal development is difficult to predict because it depends on volatile socio-economic and political factors. With this in mind, we developed a research project that uses spatially explicit scenario planning to identify plausible futures to 2035 for the GBRWHA coastal zone. The method used to produce maps of these scenarios is land-use change modelling using the GIS Idrisi.

Long-term social and economic monitoring helps reef managers understand the current status of marine park users, industries and communities. It also helps build a picture of how industries and communities are likely to respond and cope with changes associated with environmental degradation, climate change, regulatory frameworks, and changes in culture.

The project aims to monitor and study dugongs, dolphins, and turtles along the coast of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) by conducting key tasks such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. This project will monitor and study dugongs, dolphins and turtles along the coast of the GBRWHA with the following key tasks: 1.

This project will develop a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework to build understanding of the key human uses and drivers of change in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and to inform GBR stakeholders of the likely consequences, costs and benefits of particular management decisions that aim to minimise the impacts on biodiversity, particularly from inshore multi-species fisheries.

Pesticides, and particularly herbicides from agricultural sources, have been detected in nearshore sites of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) all year round. The actual impact from these concentrations of herbicides is under debate and information on cumulative impacts is required. To address this, a series of experiments will examine how plants and corals are affected by herbicides in the water in conjunction with other stressors such as temperature, low salinity and low light. An important source of herbicides in coastal waters is flood plumes from river runoff.

The project will determine the status of threatened marine (green, hawksbill and flatback) turtles and dugongs in the Torres Strait and threats to these populations. It also will investigate links between different populations of dugongs and turtles in terms of movement and habitat use. They will also assess the abundance of dugongs in the Torres Strait using aerial surveys. Working in conjunction with the Torres Strait Regional Authorities (TSRA) Land and Sea Unit and the TSRA Community Ranger program this project will: 1.

This project will map the genetic and phylogenetic diversity of northeast Queensland rainforest plants and fungi with a focus on the mountaintop species, which are regarded as among the most at risk from climate warming. The project consists of two nested subprojects. Project ‘a’ (PD analysis) will provide a broad scale analysis of patterns of genetic diversity across the NE Qld rainforests. This study will investigate the relative performance of taxonomic richness and phylogenetic diversity measures for conservation priority setting in the Wet Tropics and Cape York rainforest contexts.

This project will examine the status, diversity and condition of mangroves and freshwater habitats in the Torres Strait. This will provide a baseline against which future changes can be assessed and will also enable planning for adaptation to potential sea level rise/increased storm surge. The project builds on Torres Strait Islanders’ knowledge and understanding of mangrove habitats, with scientists working in partnership with Traditional Owners. This project will: 1.

Our current knowledge of the mechanisms that affect diversity of plants and animals on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is minimal. This project will map the diversity of groups of organisms and environments of the GBR using existing long-term and large-scale data, and relate biotic diversity to spatial, environmental and temporal drivers. These relationships will be interpreted in the context of risk, zoning and management. Outcomes include: 1. Online interactive maps of the diversity of fishes, corals, other organisms and environments of the GBR. 2.

This project uses genetic parentage analysis, biophysical modelling and information on coral trout larval behaviour to determine patterns of recruitment of coral trout larvae within and among inshore and offshore reefs in the southern Great Barrier Reef. The overall goal of this project will be to assess larval dispersal patterns, demographic connectivity and levels of recruitment subsidies from green zones at a regional scale. Tasks include: 1.

This project is conducting surveys of frogs and other vertebrates in ecotonal areas of the Wet Tropics and Eungella.

The low-lying islands of the Torres Strait are vulnerable to climate change and the region faces a range of pressures including a growing population, future climate change, potential pollution as a result of rapid mining and resources development in Papua New Guinea, and increased shipping. Through participatory scenario planning with Torres Strait and PNG communities and stakeholders, informed by integrated ecosystem and climate modelling this project will identify ‘best bet’ strategies to protect livelihoods and achieve sustainable economic development. Tasks include: 1.

This project involved an assessment of all existing and potential sources of pollution to the Torres Strait marine environment. This was combined with information on water movement patterns to assess the hazard (and to some degree risk) of these pollutant sources to marine ecosystems and public health. This project was predominantly a desktop study with some field work to sewage treatment plants, and other point sources of potential pollutants. This project: 1. Collated information regarding Torres Strait water quality pollutant sources at a range of scales (regional to local). 2.

The project seeks to improve understanding of practices that can underpin co-management arrangements for conservation areas, including the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA). A co-research team of CSIRO scientists, Rainforest Aboriginal peoples, protected area managers and other key partners will investigate the potential of Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), and other collaborative models and tools, to engage Indigenous values and world views. The team will focus on the conditions under which these arrangements lead to effective joint management.

This project undertook a scoping study to develop a robust approach that will allow us in Phase 2 to carry out an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of nutrients, fine suspended sediments, and pesticides used in agriculture in the GBR region including ranking the relative risk of individual contaminants originating from priority catchments to the GBR ecosystems using a systematic, objective and transparent approach. The researchers will specifically look at a method able to evaluate relative risk to different ecosystems and their keynote species from the different contaminants, e.g.

This project investigates in detail the exposure and sensitivity of Wet Tropics animals to extreme climate and weather events, such as heat waves, fires, flooding rain and cyclones. This information will be used to assess and map the vulnerability of biodiversity to the impacts of current and future extreme events in the Wet Tropics bioregion. The information gathered in the Wet Tropics can potentially be applied to other regions in Australia and elsewhere to predict and mitigate the impacts of extreme climatic events on biodiversity.

This project involved working with a range of stakeholders to identify the most effective governance systems for managing climate change adaptation in the Wet Tropics through the emergence of new ecosystem service markets, including Carbon Farming. The project will directly contribute to: Regional climate change adaptation policies and planning processes, Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations’ role in guiding emerging carbon markets in Australia and the region. This project developed: 1.

This project will determine the movement and habitat use of large predatory fishes such as sharks and coral trout in reef and coastal environments of the Great Barrier Reef. This project will employ acoustic monitoring technology in a series of inshore and offshore environments including coastal bays, inshore reefs and offshore reefs to monitor the presence and movements of predator species (elasmobranchs and teleosts).

This project will continue a unique data set that documents long-term trends in coral reef communities of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In 2012-13 and 2014-15 the LTMP will resurvey the ‘core’ reefs that have been surveyed since 1992. The AIMS LTMP has made intensive surveys of 47 ‘core’ reefs since 1992. The survey reefs are stratified by latitude and position across the GBR lagoon so as to give broad geographic coverage.

This project will develop a cost-effective approach for prioritising management actions across Great Barrier Reef islands to maximise conservation outcomes. The approach will be broad-based and include pest control, adjustment of fire regimes, biosecurity measures and monitoring. A decision-support tool with GIS capability will help managers to identify management priorities within and between islands.The sub-region selected for this project includes 150 islands within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area from south of Mackay to Bundaberg.

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