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December 2009  |  Newsletter of the Marine Biodiversity Hub

Finding ways of measuring opportunity costs for potential and future uses by subsistence fishers

Vanessa Adams, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University

Much of the recent debate in designing and implementing marine protected areas (MPAs) has shifted recently to understanding the ‘costs’ associated with them. 

Recent publications

Althaus, F., Williams, A., Schlacher, T.A., Kloser, R.J., Green, M.A., Barker, B.A., Bax, N.J., Brodie, P. and Hoenlinger-Schlacher M.A. (in press). Impacts of bottom trawling on deep-coral ecosystems of seamounts are long-lasting. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Postdoc Profile

Hideyasu Shimadzu, Geoscience Australia - CERF Prediction and Surrogates Program

Conferences and Workshops

* World Conference on Marine Biodiversity 2011 
* Japan Joint Statistical Meeting 
* Hub annual science workshop 

Finding the ASX200 for marine ecosystems

Researchers are building the environmental equivalent of the ASX200 as a means of monitoring the health of Australian marine ecosystems. 

Australian Fisheries - actively using an integrated monitoring and decision making framework

Dave Johnson*, Senior Manager - Environment and Research, AFMA

In Focus - Monitoring

This month focuses on marine environmental monitoring and includes abstracts from presentations given at the Nationally Relevant Environmental Monitoring workshop held in Canberra on 20 and 21 October 2009. 

Linking microfinance and payments for ecosystem services

A tool for conservation and poverty alleviation in the Coral Triangle region and beyond. 

by Luis Rodriguez, Resource Economist, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Marine ecosystems get a climate form guide

 Marine ecosystems get a climate form guide

Identifying indicators

Keith Hayes, CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics

Ecological indicators reduce the complexity of real-world systems to a small set of key characteristics that are useful for management and communication purposes. 

Workshop brings environmental monitoring into focus

It was standing room only at the Optus Theatre in the CSIRO Discovery Centre (Canberra) for many of the talks at the workshop ‘Nationally Relevant Environmental Monitori

First high seas MPA designated in Antarctica

The first high seas MPA has been declared in the Antarctic, south of the South Orkney Islands. 

New research findings from hub partner Geoscience Australia

Three stories are featured in this edition of the newsletter:

* Drowned shorelines and coastal dunes provide important reef habitat - Carnarvon Shelf, Western Australia

* New species populate Marine Hub samples from Lord Howe Island

* Modelling seabed exposure and disturbance 

Accounting for nature

by Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists

Taxonomic error in 1926 could contribute to skate extinction

by CERF Hub scientist, Daniel Gledhill - CERF Biodiversity program 

A taxonomic error made in 1926 could contribute to one of the world’s largest skates being the first marine species fished to extinction. 

Drowned shorelines and coastal dunes provide important reef habitat

from hub partner Geoscience Australia 

New high resolution multibeam sonar mapping of the seabed along the Carnarvon continental shelf in Western Australia reveals in unprecedented detail a complex submarine terrain of coral reefs and sandy seabed. 

SEQ ecosystem health monitoring program

- Providing a basis for an environmental accounting framework 
South-East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, University of Queensland

Addressing marine biodiversity decline

- the Marine Biodiversity Working Group

This is the second article on the national advisory groups that the Marine Biodiversity Hub works with to improve the management of marine biodiversity.

New species populate Marine Hub samples from Lord Howe Island

from hub partner Geoscience Australia

Monitoring programs for the Great Barrier Reef

Hugh Sweatman, Australian Institute of Marine Science

2010 International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. 

Modelling seabed exposure and disturbance

from hub partner Geoscience Australia

The amount of energy delivered to the seabed by waves, tides and associated currents is one of the fundamental factors that shape the physical and biological character of the seabed. 

Seasons greetings

Thank you for your contributions to the CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub in 2009 – it’s been a great year. Best wishes for a happy and successful 2010 and join with us in celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity.

Prof Nic Bax 
Director

Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report

The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 was provided to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts on 30 June 2009 and subsequently tabled in the Australian Parliament. 

Perspective

by Prof Nic Bax, Director, CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub

More than 190 countries agreed to achieve a “significant reduction” in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. The European Commission announced in April of this year that Europe will fail to meet that target.

Reports from our collaborators

The number of researchers collaborating with the Marine Biodiversity Hub continues to increase. In this newsletter, there are reports from two researchers working with the Off-Reserve Management Program: