This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project D4 - "Expanding our spatial knowledge of marine biodiversity to support future best-practice reviews". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- This project will fill data gaps and evaluate methods relevant to the ongoing spatial management of seafloor biota across the Australian marine domain. The objective is to prepare Australian, State and Territory governments for future best-practice reviews of Australia’s marine bioregionalisation that can be used to improve marine spatial planning and management initiatives (e.g. marine bioregional plan and marine protected area reviews, environmental impact and natural heritage assessments). The project will incorporate results from field trips to unexplored offshore areas of Australia’s marine domain and communicate biodiversity values of the AMP network to the Australian public. Planned Outputs • Report evaluating the usefulness of phylodiversity (genetic diversity) to spatial marine planning • Report outlining extensions of known statistical approaches to be able to utilise available mixed-resolution biological data (including museum and historical data) for the production of best-evidence bioregional maps • Report evaluating the usefulness of connectivity (current) models to spatial marine planning • Report including description and images of deep-sea biological communities of the east coast, including the CMR network, on a scheduled November 2016 expedition of the NMF ‘Investigator’ (mid 2016-7). This survey will result in significant media opportunities to promote the values of the CMR network. • Report including description and images of banks, seamounts and pelagic aggregations within the Cocos Keeling/Christmas Island territories. This would require a successful application for ship-time on the NMF ‘Investigator’ • Report investigating the possibility of downscaling biogeographic maps to the typical scale of areas of conservation concern (1-100 km) by utilising emerging fine-scale bathymetry (provided by the shelf mapping project), acoustic and water movement data

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project B1 - "Road testing decision support tools via case study applications". No data outputs are expected for this project. -------------------- This project will deploy advances in decision-support to assist Commonwealth Marine Reserve managers progress the implementation of evidence-based adaptive management throughout the reserve estate. Two case studies will treat selected decision problems in detail. Specifically: • The identification of decision thresholds that may trigger a change in management, framed within Parks Australia’s performance monitoring template. • The prioritisation of information acquisition through research and monitoring. The two case studies involve coherent integration of ecological models, social and organisational value judgements, and economic analysis. Planned Outputs • Progress reports describing interim outcomes of the (a) decision thresholds and (b) research and monitoring prioritisation case studies. • At least two publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals. • Two final reports describing outcomes of the (a) decision thresholds and (b) research and monitoring prioritisation case studies. • At least two publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals. • Training and associated materials

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project C3 - "Change detection and monitoring of key marine and coastal environments – application of the Australian Geoscience Data Cube". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- This project aims at leveraging the extensive time-series of earth observation image data in the Australian Geoscience Data Cube (AGDC) by developing change detection algorithms to analyse key environmental parameters in the coastal and marine zone. Spatial information produced by this project can inform management decisions, and assist in evaluating management action outcomes, by providing a quantifiable measure of historical change and ongoing monitoring and change detection capabilities. In Phase 1 of this project we aim to demonstrate the capability of using the AGDC through the development of an inter-tidal zone change detection algorithm and data set, with a view to developing and implementing an expanded range of stakeholder targeted algorithms to inform decision making processes in Phase 2. Planned Outputs • Progress Report • Demonstrator summary Report • Data Products (GIS maps and data, delivered from the GA website as a web service) • Marine Biodiversity Hub article • Pesentation at the Australian Marine Science Association Conference.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Conservation of spotted handfish". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) were once common across the bays and estuaries of South-eastern Tasmania. By 1996, however, populations had declined and the species was listed as Critically Endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The species is relatively short-lived, (5–10 years) and matures at more than two years’ old. This leaves a short window for reproduction, which relies on egg masses laid on seafloor structures such as stalked ascidians. If spawning fails, population declines may occur rapidly. With no planktonic life stage to aid dispersal, and low adult dispersal, outside recruitment to re-establish collapsed populations is unlikely. Analysis of 23 years of Spotted Handfish survey data (1997–2019) supported by previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub work (Project A10) helped develop a time-series of survey data, increasing biological understanding and contributing to effective management actions. This project recommenced surveys of multiple local populations, after a two-year gap, to ensure that the potential impacts of development of the Derwent estuary and surrounds handfish populations or their habitats can be detected. Included in the population surveying was identification of suitable locations to plant Artificial Spawning Habitats (ASH) where natural spawning structures have declined. This will continue to support the species' captive breeding program with industry and foster engagement with the indigenous and broader community through participation, talks, outreach, publications, and the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT). Outputs • A consolidated database of all available data on spotted handfish imagery, length frequency, and GPS regions to 2022 [time-series database] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Assessing changes in black rockcod abundance and size". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Black Rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii) is a large, reef-dwelling species that can live for more than 60 years. In Australia it occurs along the coast of New South Wales, including at Lord Howe Island. Black Rockcod populations have been significantly reduced here due to overfishing, accidental hooking, and loss or degradation of estuarine and intertidal nursery habitats. As a result, the species is listed as Vulnerable under Commonwealth and NSW legislation. Despite having been protected from fishing in NSW since 1983, Black Rockcod are still taken illegally, or caught incidentally and released, which can lead to mortality post-release from embolism. Long-term population monitoring is a high priority identified by the species’ recovery plan and the NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee. In 2010, a broadscale baseline survey (81 sites) was undertaken in northern NSW and Lord Howe Island, followed by smaller surveys every four to five years. This project repeated the initial 81 baseline site surveys to assess if protection measures, such as marine protected area sanctuary zones, are assisting in recovery of black rockcod. This contributed to a 13-year time series (2010 – 2023) that was used to examine distribution and population structure of rockcod to assess if recovery actions being implemented are effective. Outputs • underwater visual census (UVC) data for black rock cod [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Informing southern right whale management through continued monitoring, determination of aggregation areas and development of approaches to increase data flow efficiencies and utility". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- This project will deliver priority information on southern right whales to address key knowledge gaps through: (i) updating long-term population abundance trends via aerial surveys of the western population and testing of platforms for improving photo-identification data flow efficiencies; (ii) the collection and utilisation of photos of the western population to identify biologically important reproductive areas and inform the estimation of population parameters;(iii) development of integrative methods for combining opportunistic and more formally collected observations, to expand the utility of datasets and (iv) collection of movement and genetic data to assess the connectivity and population identity of whales at the boundary of the eastern and western subpopulations. It will also conduct a consultative process for prioritising future work for informing future NESP work. Outputs • Updated southern right whale population assessments [dataset] • Individual whale photo-identifications in aggregation areas [image catalogue] • Updated SPRAT and BIA distributions [dataset] • Whale movement tracking [dataset] • Genetic data (for estimates of population connectivity) [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the scope of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project E5 - "The role of restoration in conserving Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES)". No raw data products are anticipated for this project. -------------------- This research will assess the capacity of habitat restoration to insulate against loss and degradation of MNES, through restoration key habitats and the species they support. In general, restoration techniques in marine ecosystems have been seen as embryonic and cost-prohibitive. But the risk of decline in key habitats and their potential loss through the cumulative impacts of climate change and local pressures makes the imperative for more effective and efficient techniques urgent. In several habitats, recent advances in technology suggest marked improvement in efficacy and cost-effectiveness. This project will review and assess the capacity of active restoration to secure conservation outcomes for MNES across four habitats: giant kelp forests, seagrass communities, saltmarsh communities, and shellfish communities. Planned Outputs • Report: Review – the role of restoration in conserving matters of national environmental significance • Report: Workshop outcomes - The cost-effectiveness of alternative restoration projects

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Evaluation of recreational fishing behaviour, use, values and motivations that relate to compliance". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Recreational fishing is an important leisure activity in Australia that delivers important social and economic benefits to the community. As the largest and most widely dispersed natural resource-based recreational activity in the country, it is subject to management strategies including bag limits, quotas, and no-take zones. Given the prohibitive cost of deploying compliance officers to monitor Australia’s vast marine estate, strategies are needed to encourage voluntary compliance from fishers. This project explored behavioural interventions to promote self-compliance among recreational fishers, focusing on no-take zones within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and two Commonwealth parks off Western Australia (Geographe and Two Rocks). The research distributed more than 800 online surveys, followed up by focus groups and analysis to examine how demographics, motivations and fishing patterns influence fishers' intentions to comply with zoning rules. Survey insights were used to pilot a new targeted approach to awareness campaigns. Using behavioural segmentation, the project tailored messaging to specific audience types and tested these via GBRMPA social media channels. The project also examined perceptions of compliance visibility and found fishers were more likely to comply when uniformed officers were present and engaged directly at ramps or on water. The project outcomes provide a foundation for evidence-based behavioural interventions and targeted communication campaigns. It delivers a proof of concept for scalable, audience-specific behaviour change approaches that can be refined, implemented, and evaluated in future research. Outputs • Fact sheet - characterising recreational fishing population [written] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project B2 - "Analysis and elicitation to support State of the Environment reporting for the full spectrum of data availability". No data outputs are expected for this project. -------------------- The availability and quality of observation data that may be used to support State of the Environment reporting lies on a spectrum from: (i) high quality (e.g. Reef Life Survey, Long term reef monitoring programme, Temperate Reef Monitoring programme, state-based MPA monitoring programmes); (ii) moderate quality (e.g. continuous plankton recorder, occasional by catch surveys); (iii) low quality (anecdotal information) to (iv) expert beliefs but no empirical observations. We currently lack a principled process for utilising and merging data of varying quality and from different sources to form a national perspective to support State of the Environment reporting. The key unifying principle to support such a process is the extent to which the available data is representative of the environmental asset in question. As the extent to which the empirical observations accurately represent the state of the asset in both space and time diminishes, so the reliance on expert opinion increases, to the limit where the only available information is expert opinion. This project will provide an over-arching framework to consider these issues, develop practical protocols for blending different data streams with or without experts’ judgement as appropriate, and thereby provide a foundation for improving State of Environment reporting for all types of data sources, from high to low quality. It will do this by developing and applying protocols to support development of the marine chapter of SoE 2106. This currently being developed within a separate CSIRO funded project. The project will use the experience of developing this chapter to make recommendations about appropriate methodologies for future environmental reporting. Importantly the statistical approach and analysis principles will be consistent regardless of the amount or quality of the information available. As a result the framework and analysis methods will remain relevant, even as the quality and quantity of environmental data at the department’s disposal changes. This will provide the consistency of analysis and reporting that is essential to SoE. Expected Outcomes • The provision of two or three examples that demonstrate a unified approach to the use of expert opinion in SoE reporting. These examples will be identified in close collaboration with the Department and will be developed in time to support the marine chapter of 2016 State of the Environment report, contingent on the availability of resources in the second year of the project and timely interaction with the department. • Assessments of the status and trends of environmental assets in the State of the Environment report will be based on a principled and statistically defensible process that can merges and utilises data from all sources including expert opinion.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "A national inventory of implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Climate change and population growth are accelerating the need for diverse solutions to coastal protection. Traditionally, shorelines are armoured with conventional "hard" or "grey" engineering structures such as seawalls which are non-adaptive and come with significant economic, environmental and social costs. While hard structures will continue to have a place in coastal protection, alternative methods that are more sustainable and climate-resilient should be more broadly adopted into the future where appropriate. Living shorelines harness natural ecosystems to reduce coastal erosion and flooding and provide co-benefits such as carbon sequestration. They may consist of dunes, wetlands and biogenic reefs: either alone (‘soft approach’) or in combination with hard structures (‘hybrid approach’). To date, nature-based solutions have been underutilised in Australia, due at least in part to decision-makers needing clearer guidelines for when a soft, hybrid or hard coastal defence approach is most appropriate. This resulted in the publication of a foundational guide (led by Morris and Swearer and delivered under ESCC Hub Project 5.9: Natural habitats for coastal protection and carbon sequestration) to inform the national use of nature-based methods for coastal hazard risk reduction. In the process of producing these guidelines, the lack of a national inventory of coastal protection projects already using nature-based methods was identified by end-users as a priority to enable their wider adoption as an adaptation strategy in Australia. This project generated an online inventory of all current and planned on-ground actions by coastal land managers that have implemented a nature-based solution (NBS) to mitigate coastal hazards. From this, the "Living Shorelines Australia" (https://livingshorelines.com.au) database was created. This inventory is the first step in identifying best practice, which will inform the future development of detailed technical design guidelines for implementing different nature-based methods in Australia. Outputs • A national inventory of existing implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards [dataset] • Final Project Report [written]