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Delivery Organisation
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The University of Western Australia
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The Marine Futures project has developed the first broad-scale, quantitative dataset, benchmarking marine habitats and the organisms which live in these habitats in Western Australia. The project is a cross-regional partnership between South Coast NRM, the Australian and State governments, the University of Western Australia, private industry and regional NRM groups.
The information gathered has significantly increased our understanding of Western Australia’s marine organisms and how they interact with their environment. Such information is the foundation for understanding change in the marine environment, whether it is driven by climate, increased human activities associated with fishing, tourism or oil and gas. Quality baseline data will allow us to develop cost effective monitoring programs in the future.
The Marine Futures project developed detailed maps of the seafloor at selected sites between the Abrolhos Islands and Esperance. Each map provides information on the distribution and extent of the different habitats and the organisms associated with them. To produce these maps, the team undertook a series of hydroacoustic and towed video surveys. Marine biodiversity surveys followed and involved a variety of sampling methods, including research trawls, benthic photoquadrats and stereo baited remote underwater video systems (SBRUVS).
The project was initially expected to generate maps and biodiversity surveys for approximately 800km2 of WA’s marine environment but exceeded expectations by mapping almost 1500km2.
The wealth of information collected has been transformed into easily accessible products that can be downloaded from the online data centre, including habitat maps embedded in Google Earth, biodiversity data summarised in a series of interactive charts developed within Excel, and a series of video clips that bring to life key habitats, fish species and assemblages.
More Marine Futures project information is available through the University of Western Australia website.
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