Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Walking shared paths on Tebrakunna Country
Mar 14, 2026
Lately they’ve been joined by researchers from all four hubs of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP). They’re working together on a project led and co-designed by the Melaythenner Teeackana Warrana (Heart of Country) Aboriginal Corporation (MTWAC) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS). MTWAC aims to restore Aboriginal land management practices in north-eastern Tasmania. The…
Building an evidence base for living shorelines: a framework for evaluating monitoring activities
Mar 12, 2026
Living shorelines are gaining favour as a nature-based alternative to conventional engineered coastal protection structures such as seawalls and breakwaters. Typical living shoreline habitats are beaches and dunes, saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses and kelp forests, and coral and shellfish reefs. These habitats increase coastal resilience through wave attenuation and sediment stabilisation. They also offer potential co-benefits…
Sea lion camera reveals mother taking pup on educational foraging expedition in the wild
Feb 10, 2026
This article by hub researcher Nathan Angelakis is republished from The Conversation. Australian sea lions are different. They have an 18-month breeding cycle, out of sync with the seasons, which has puzzled scientists for years. So compared to other seals, Australian sea lion mothers spend an extra six months or more nursing their pups. Why this is…
Watching, listening, and carrying forward the understandings shared by Sea-Kin
Dec 5, 2025
Cultural Custodians joined representatives from Aboriginal organisations, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Parks Australia. The meeting was convened by Dr Chels Marshall, Dr Jodi Edwards and Natalia Baechtold from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at the University of Wollongong. Their project is investigating the relationships that Aboriginal Peoples hold with cetaceans and other marine cultural keystone species across south-eastern Australia. Engaging with Sea-Kin Communities engage with their Sea-Kin – dolphins, humpback whales,…
Southern right whale: 50 years of aerial surveys and counting
Sep 7, 2025
For the full-screen experience, this story can can also be viewed on ArcGIS StoryMaps [external link].
Developing integrated pest management for feral pigs
Sep 5, 2025
The Marine and Coastal Hub project is led by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA). It was co-designed with Daluk Rangers, Juunjuwarra Rangers and Madjaybana Rangers who are also collaborating in the field research. Fieldwork is being conducted at three sites in northern Australia to capture different environments: Kakadu National Park, Cape…
Supporting shorebird recovery across the East Asian–Australasian Flyway
Sep 5, 2025
An early Marine and Coastal Hub project 1.21 analysed population trends for 15 key species. This research directly contributed to the listing of eight species as nationally threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. However, it was not all bad news; the numbers for several species appeared to be stabilising, suggesting some…
Making unseen reefs visible: new maps support better decisions for northern Australia’s marine life
Sep 5, 2025
In the remote, sediment-rich waters of northern Australia, these reefs had remained largely hidden. Absent from official maps, they have mostly been invisible to decision-makers. As such, despite providing habitat for a wide range of marine life, they are overlooked in conservation and development planning. The hub project team, led by the Australian Institute of…
Slow increase in Australia’s eastern grey nurse shark population shows conservation actions are on track
Sep 5, 2025
Scientists collected biopsy samples from more than 300 grey nurse sharks off the coast of New South Wales. The DNA of these sharks was profiled to reveal family relationships that can help to estimate population size. Based on this work, the number of adults in the eastern grey nurse shark population is estimated to have…
Lights, cameras, pilchards and whales: surveying life in Hunter Marine Park
Sep 4, 2025
At depths below 50 metres, their cameras are capturing the wonderful world of fiddler rays, catsharks, Port Jackson sharks, hermit crabs, leatherjackets, lobsters, nannygai, bellowfish, serpent eels, sea whips, wobbegongs and snappers. The three-week survey began on 12 August, and is working around the weather. It is led by Dr Jacquomo Monk of the Institute…