NERP TE Project 9.2 - Design and implementation of Management Strategy Evaluation for the Great Barrier Reef inshore (CSIRO)

Project summary

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.

Trawler approaching jetty
Trawler approaching jetty

A fishing trawler returning to port.

CC BY by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Seagrass
Seagrass

Seagrass

CC BY by CSIRO

Why this research is needed

The participatory approach used in the development of the MSE framework will build a common understanding of how the socio-economic and ecological components of the inshore GBR system function and interact, and will assist stakeholders to formulate management objectives. The resulting MSE framework will be used to identify which policies and practices have the potential to meet the stated objectives of stakeholders and to assess trade-offs between social, economic and environmental outcomes.

Research-user focus

The project will deliver outcomes that are useful to a range of stakeholder organisations including local, state and Australian Government bodies, the fishing and other sectors, and conservation planners/managers. These organisations include the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Queensland Departments of Environment and Heritage Protection and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Queensland Seafood Industry Association.

Outcomes

  • An understanding of the relative importance of different social, ecological, economic and governance objectives of each stakeholder group and for all stakeholders combined within the inshore GBR region.
  • A qualitative model built using stakeholder input to develop a common understanding of the interactions between the various components of the inshore GBR system.
  • Stakeholder driven development of alternative strategies for the management of the inshore GBR region.
  • An assessment of the relative impacts of different management strategies compared with present management systems to provide clear direction about the pros and cons of different management strategies for the inshore region and their impacts on different stakeholder objectives.
  • Management options aimed at biodiversity outcomes, focusing on inshore multi-species fisheries management.

Reports, Publications and News

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For more information see Project 9.2 'Design and implementation of Management Strategy Evaluation for the Great Barrier Reef inshore (MSE-GBR)' on the NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub site.

Images

Datasets

NERP TE Project 9.2 Design and implementation of Management Strategy Evaluation for the Great Barrier Reef inshore (MSEGBR) (CSIRO)
1 July 2015

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.

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