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National Environmental Science Program

Decision-making tools are being generated in key areas of policy and management to assist the description and prioritisation of conservation values and matters of national environmental significance (MNES).

The knowledge and data will be synthesised into an accessible and pragmatic framework to support environmental decision making. Decision-support tools will be tested and applied to understand trade-offs between management options to avoid, mitigate, offset or adaptively manage significant environmental impacts.

Case studies used to demonstrate the tools may include aspects of threatened and migratory species management, the allocation of restoration, monitoring and management resources, mitigating impacts of the oil and gas industry, and informing the specification of approval conditions.

A framework for data delivery will simplify access to information products developed by the Hub, and a pilot service will be developed for searching, aggregating and filtering collections of linked open marine data. Analysis and elicitation will be provided to support State-of-the-Environment reporting (SOE 2016).

An initial focus of research will support the scaling-up of repair and conservation efforts for two diminished nearshore marine ecological communities: shellfish reefs and saltmarshes. Both habitats harbour significant marine biodiversity and play a critical role in supporting healthy estuarine systems.