This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project C2 - "Continental-scale tracking of threats to shallow Australian reef ecosystems". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.

--------------------

The project will integrate Australia’s largest, most detailed datasets of shallow-water tropical and temperate marine biodiversity, and assess how pollution, fishing, rising sea temperatures and introduced species are impacting associated natural values. An initial outcome will be the identification of state-of-the-environment indicators for inclusion in the 2016 State of the Environment report, with subsequent activities aimed at contributing additional data products needed for other NESP projects, Parks Australia, and the Essential Environmental Measures initiative. The project will also describe a national shallow-water baseline of biodiversity in Commonwealth Marine Reserves for assessment of change through the long term.

Planned Outputs

Publications describing:

• Environmental values at all sites investigated in Commonwealth waters by Reef Life Survey divers

• Compatibility of survey data obtained through LTMP, RLS and LTMPA programs, and corrections factors needed when linking outputs of these monitoring programs

• Time series data depicting interannual variation over the past two decades in ecological indicators specific to individual threats

• Relationships between anthropogenic stressors and reef condition, with emphasis on impacts of sewage and heavy metal pollution, fishing, warming sea temperature, urbanisation and introduced species

• Sensitive and cost effective indicators of threats to environmental condition.

• Coherent marine ecological data streams that feed into SoE reporting, the Essential Environmental Measures initiative, and future evaluation of Commonwealth Marine Reserves.