biodiversity conservation* and ecosystem health · biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health...
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Biodiversity Conservation* and
Ecosystem Health#
* Sabine Dittmann# Peter Doherty
White paper contributions:Lead author Title
Baker Marine Biotechnology; extracting value from marine biodiversity.Bax Discovery, prediction and monitoring.
Campbell Nonindigenous marine species effects to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health.
Costanza Ecosystem services from healthy oceans and coasts.
Creighton R&D priorities – Australia’s estuaries, embayments and nearshore marine environments.
Doblin Marine microorganisms form the foundation of healthy ocean ecosystems and successful marine industries.
Gillanders Ecosystem health.Harrison Marine vertebrate conservation (including threatened and protected species).
Hutchings Aspects of classifying, cataloguing, curating and systematics of marine biodiversity.
Kenchington R&D priorities – Marine Protected Areas.Kendrick Benthic ecosystems.Poloczanska Climate change impacts.
Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Health in “Marine Nation 2025”
Identified National Challenge Knowledge gaps for evidence-based decision making and
management for biodiversity conservation:• Biodiversity, habitat mapping in unexplored areas• Ecosystem functions and processes• Cumulative impact of multiple stressors
Key research areas• Discovery• Monitoring• Decision-support tools
GeoScience Australia
Biodiversity Conservation & Ecosystem Health
Research priorities Realisation Relevance
Inventories & Discoveries
Integrated monitoring & research program
Reporting & evaluationData,
knowledge & decision
support
ModellingEcosystem service
valuation
Adaptive managementLong-term
ecological research Experimental
Facility
Surveys & mapping
Monitoring & Reporting
Long-term data streams
Research Hubs
Management & conservation
Framework• Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
(EPBC) Act 1999 • National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas
(NRSMPA)• Commonwealth Marine Bioregional Plans
(IMCRA Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia)• Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2013• Marine Parks & other legislation in States
Biodiversity Conservation
IUCN Promise of Sydney (Nov 2014):…healthy oceans are critical to life on earth and must be protected at much greater scale…
International relevance• Australia signatory to international agreements
e.g. CBD – Convention of Biological Diversity,CMS – Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species
• Contributions to global programse.g. IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change,
IWC - International Whaling Commission,GOOS – Global Ocean Observing Program
• Participation in global initiatives e.g. CoML – Census of Marine Life
• Global impact of Australian research related to marine biodiversity conservation and ecosystem science –publications, leadership, tools
Biodiversity Conservation
Census of marine life (2010) Highlights…
Key issuesBiodiversity Conservation
Biodiversity inventories and discoveries (1)Knowledge gaps
• Unknown biodiversity, especially continental shelf and deep sea, and microbiota
• Description & classification of species• Unknown distribution patterns and abundance
Science needs
• Inventory and description of marine biota, incl. marine invasive species, using traditional and molecular techniques
• Empirical data collections on distribution and abundance of organisms, incl. tracking of movements
• Identification of Key Ecological Features (KEFs) and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs)
• Bioinnovation research
Biodiversity Conservation
Relevance • Inform management and conservation (e.g. data deficiency for potentially vulnerable species)
• Refine bioregionalisation (IMCRA)• Support NRSMPA to achieve a comprehensive,
adequate, and representative system of marine reserves• Support biodiscovery and marine biotechnology• International networks to manage marine invasive species• Inform climate-change research
Perspective • Museums and herbaria as national archives of flora & fauna• Searchable electronic databases for marine biodiversity
collections• Career paths in taxonomy and systematics• Upscaling of biosecurity research
Biodiversity inventories and discoveries (2)
Biodiversity Conservation Monitoring and reporting (1)
Knowledge gaps
• Incomplete mapping of EEZ by sonar (~ 6% at high resolution)
• Imperfect surrogates and proxies for biodiversity• Microbial communities and micro-invertebrates largely
unknown• Time series for threatened species
Science needs
• Robust, quantitative and adequate time-series • Standardised monitoring and sampling approaches • Nationally-consistent habitat classification scheme• Precision seabed mapping• Indicators for trends in ecosystems, incl.
climate change related changes• Develop rapid assays using microbes
Spotted Handfish, endemic to Australia, critically endangered
Brachionichthys hirsutus
Harris & Baker (2012)
Murray Mouth and Coorong 2004-2013
200420052006
2007
2008
2009
20102011
2012
2013
2D Stress: 0.05
Biodiversity Conservation Monitoring and reporting (2)Relevance • Requirement for robust national monitoring, reporting and
evaluation• Deliver status and trend data (e.g. for State of
Environment reporting; Climate Change Report Cards)• Inform recovery plans for threatened species• Assess effectiveness of management and intervention
actions• NRSMPA reserves as reference sites• Risk mitigation of habitat loss from climate change
Perspective • Nationally consistent monitoring and reporting framework• Comprehensive inventories and monitoring • Technologies for monitoring in deep sea• Long term monitoring and evaluation framework
Biodiversity Conservation Common agreement in submissions
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Polo
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Clim
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Inventories and discoveries √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Monitoring and reporting √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Biodiversity Conservation & Ecosystem Health
Research priorities Realisation Relevance
Inventories & Discoveries
Integrated monitoring & research program
Reporting & evaluationData,
knowledge & decision
support
ModellingEcosystem service
valuation
Adaptive managementLong-term
ecological research Experimental
Facility
Surveys & mapping
Monitoring & Reporting
Long-term data streams
Research Hubs
Management & conservation
Biodiversity Conservation
Science need &
Priorities
Surveys & maps
Long-term
research
Experi-mental
facilities
Research Hubs / CoE
Skilled people
Data infra-structure
Inventories & discoveries
√• Vessels• Techno-
logy
√• IMOS• LTER
√ √• Marine
Biodiversity Hub• Marine Vertebrate
Science Centre • Marine Taxonomic
Facility
√ √
Monitoring & reporting
√• Vessels• Techno-
logy
√• IMOS• LTER
åNetwork of marine stations
å Marine
Biodiversity Hub• Marine Vertebrate
Science Centre • Marine Taxonomic
Facility
√ √
Realisation
Biodiversity Conservation Overlap with other themes
Sov
erei
gnty
, sec
urity
, na
tura
l haz
ards
Ene
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secu
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Food
sec
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Dea
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limat
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Opt
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reso
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loca
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Urb
an c
oast
al
envi
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ents
Infra
stru
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Key issues Inventories and discoveries √ √ √ √ √
Monitoring and reporting √ √ √ √ √ √
Realisation Surveys & maps √ √ √ √ √
Long-term research √ √ √
Experimental facilities √ √
Research Hubs / CoE √ √ √
Skilled people √
Data infrastructure √ √ √ √ √ √
Recommended prioritisation and realisationAction Area Within 5 yrs Within 10 yrs Within 20 yrs
Baseline surveys
Digitise historical knowledge on marine biodiversity held by museums and herbariaClose the most critical knowledge gaps on habitats and biodiversity for the NRSMPA
Evaluate the effectiveness of the NRSMPA against objectives Reverse the decline in national capacity for taxonomic studiesMake national collections of biodiversity more accessible to biodiscovery research
Continue to prospect invertebrate communities and convert that knowledge to useful outcomes
Vertebrate conservation
Restore funding for research on Australian mammals of conservation interest including species known to be “data deficient” Conduct risk analyses to identify species threatened by mobility
Expand funding to other phyla (e.g. sea snakes, marine turtles, seabirds, marine fishes) after assessment of relative risk
Monitor all populations of key species supported by recovery plans
Long-term ecological research
Establish long-term observation sites in conjunction with the NRSMPA to audit reserve performance and to provide reference data for off-reserve management actions
Understand the likely responses and limits of marine species to climate change
Sustain key data streams to inform operational models
Biodiversity Conservation
Biodiversity Conservation & Ecosystem Health
Research priorities Realisation Relevance
Inventories & Discoveries
Integrated monitoring & research program
Reporting & evaluationData,
knowledge & decision
support
ModellingEcosystem service
valuation
Adaptive managementLong-term
ecological research Experimental
Facility
Surveys & mapping
Monitoring & Reporting
Long-term data streams
Research Hubs
Management & conservation
Theme 4: Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem HealthPeter Doherty
The health of marine ecosystems has been assessed by examining the status and trends of the major physical and chemical processes that maintain the quality of thebiodiversity and habitats in each region.
Outbreaks of diseases, non‐natural algal blooms and infestations by pests have been assessed as symptoms of an unhealthy marine ecosystem.
State of the Environment Report 2011
Theme 4: Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Health
• Marine ecosystems provide a wide range of goods and services• Estuaries and coastal waters are the most productive marine
ecosystems and underpin the bulk of fisheries on narrow shelves• Ecosystem services (gas regulation, nutrient cycling, etc) far exceed
the value of conventional marketed economic goods and services• The “public goods” nature of ecosystem services means that
oceans are undervalued in both private and public decision‐making around use, conservation and restoration
Theme 4: Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Health
• Marine ecosystems are submerged and “out of sight”• We cannot manage what we do not see
– Shallow lenses of space and time– Shifting baselines cloud our vision
• Management is often reactive after large change or extreme event– Unprepared for the challenge of multiple cumulative pressures– Not assisted by jurisdictional and legal frameworks
Pre‐clear coastal ecosystems Post‐clear coastal ecosystems
State of the Environment Report 2011
De’ath et al (2012) The 27‐year decline of coral cover on the GBR and its causes. PNAS 109 179955
Stone Island 1890Source: GBRMPA
Stone Island 2012 Source: UQ
Reef Plan Report Card
“Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate in the future”
“The outlook for the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem is at a crossroad, and it is decisions made in the next few years that are likely to determine its long-term future”
Repair and restoration of ecosystem services is possible –restore connectivity
Restoration of near extinct shellfish reefs as fish habitats with benefits to water quality
Source: CSIRO
Protection of coastal water quality will benefit future economic activity
Theme 4: Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Health
• We do not try to manage what we cannot see– Marine microbes are 50‐90% of ocean biomass, responsible for 50% of
global primary production, drive all major BCG cycles, control climate…– Pathogens are a significant threat to aquaculture & public health– Microbes are first responders to environmental change – hence their
immense potential as indicators and sentinels of ecosystem health
• Marine microbes will undoubtedly be sources of new wealth and industries (drugs, antifoulants, remediation tools, biofuels, etc)
Managing ecosystems rather than components will require new tools and process understandingSource: CSIRO
Source: CSIRO
Source: CSIRO
Source: CSIRO
Theme 4: Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Health
• Invest in integrated monitoring of continental shelf ecosystems– Long‐term data streams are essential (change detection, feedback on actions)– Exploit potential of the NRSMPA (reference sites)
• Realise opportunities for quick return from ecosystem repair– Active rather than passive recovery to bypass the hysteresis trap– Measure effectiveness of actions
• Create new generation of management theory and tools– Decisions based on cumulative pressures, and dealing with uncertainty– Plausible models for scenario evaluation (choose among options)
• Manage adaptively for better outcomes– Validate with transdisciplinary partnerships (stakeholder buy in)– Fill critical knowledge gaps on ecological processes and vulnerabilities– “Learn from doing”