Media release
Facilitating First Nations people’s participation in environmental markets
Sep 11, 2024
Indigenous people are already leading production of carbon credits by using Indigenous knowledge to manage savanna fire and land restoration activities. A Marine and Coastal Hub project jointly supports Indigenous participation in Blue Carbon markets along with the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network (ICIN). ICIN is a national industry body and Aboriginal-owned charity representing its members;…
Dugong survey reveals thriving population in far north Queensland
Aug 29, 2024
The 2023 Dugong Aerial Survey estimates nearly 7,000 dugongs in the region. This is almost double the numbers reported in central and southern Queensland. The survey has monitored dugong populations along Queensland’s coast every five years for the past 30 years. Over the past 17 years, the far northern dugong population has shown a 2%…
Roadmap released for sustainable development of Australia’s north
Aug 29, 2024
Professor Dale, DNAC Chair and Professor of Tropical Regional Development at the Cairns Institute of James Cook University has developed a comprehensive roadmap of key issues required to achieve sustainable and inclusive development of the north. With the release of the Australian Government’s ‘Northern Australia Action Plan 2024-2029’ yesterday by the Minister for Northern Australia,…
Scientists spot girls-only shark slumber party in Bass Strait’s Beagle Marine Park
Aug 14, 2024
The mysterious gathering was videoed by an underwater robot, known as a remotely operated vehicle, being ‘flown’ above the seafloor from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) research vessel MRV Ngerin. The research team had previously seen the sharks here six years ago during the first survey of Beagle Marine Park, which is…
Revisiting the riches of Beagle Marine Park
Jul 31, 2024
The two-week voyage on the marine research vessel (MRV) Ngerin is led by the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and funded by the Australian Government through the National Environmental Science Program. Beagle Marine Park covers almost 3000 km2 of central Bass Strait waters. It is one of 60 Australian Marine…
World first data show ‘giant’ threatened sawfish go the distance
Oct 10, 2023
Together these teams have tagged and tracked more than 40 sawfish. One of these was a Largetooth Sawfish measuring more than five metres that swam an incredible 1000 kilometres in two months. Sawfish are extinct in many places worldwide. Although they still survive in northern Australia, conservation managers are concerned about low population numbers as…
Long-term decline in dugong populations confirmed along Great Barrier Reef
Sep 27, 2023
Aerial surveys conducted in 2022 confirm that this declining trend has persisted for almost two decades, despite Australia’s status as the host of the world’s largest population of these vulnerable marine mammals. Released this week, the 2022 Dugong Aerial Survey: Mission Beach to Moreton Bay report is part of a series of aerial surveys conducted every five…
Macquarie Harbour last refuge for Maugean Skate, DNA survey finds
Sep 7, 2022
In a Marine and Coastal Hub project, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) researchers set out to detect the presence of Maugean Skate DNA in Bathurst Harbour, where only four individuals have ever been seen and none have been sighted since 1992. “Maugean Skates have one of the most limited distributions of any known species…
Scientists call for a national approach to marine and coastal restoration
Aug 12, 2022
Researchers state that failing to restore lost and degraded coastal ecosystems on a national scale is too important to risk, with climate change closing the window of opportunity. Released today, A Roadmap for Coordinated Landscape-scale Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Restoration, involved input from more than 170 contributors, including scientists, First Nations people, government agencies and…
Cairns gathering to join hands for sea country
Aug 9, 2022
More than 80 participants are expected to attend the 2022 AMSA Indigenous Workshop which is part of the annual Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) Conference. First Nations participants will travel from as far as Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and there is a strong representation from Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef….