Our coastal Australiabiodiverse
under‐explored
defines Australian lifestyle
commercially valuable
under increasing pressure
Drivers for the Coastal domain
Shipping traffic
Advanced Minerals & Energy Projects
Marine parks
Population Growth
Urbanizing Coastal Environments • Rapidly changing and often disturbed:
• deteriorating water quality• Changing morphology• Loss of habitat and • Changing biotic composition
• Highly valuable – economically, socially, culturally and ecologically
• Competing Uses • Vulnerable built infrastructure • Global Challenge
Coastal challenges: a question of balance
Pressures
• population growth + development • conflicting uses• catchment + industry impacts • exploitation of resources• climate change + variability
Opportunities
• port development• oil, gas + mineral resources• tourism and recreation• new marine industries• renewable energy• water + food security
Informed, timelytransparent decisions
Protection of vulnerable areas & species
The way in which our coasts are managed will have profound consequences for most Australians!
Research for What and for Whom?
Reporting & outlook
Regional planning
Reduced uncertainty in EIA
Integrated coastal zone management
Marine reserves
Environmental guidelines
OCIASCoastal Research
Informing
WfO Vision | Andy Steven | Protecting Infrastructure & PeopleIndustry Innovation
Coastal Sub‐Theme White Papers1. Coastal contamination. Apte et al. 2. Indigenous Coastal Knowledge & Research Priorities. Bayliss et al. 3. Climate change impacts and adaptation in the urban coastal
environment. Bishop et al. 4. Green engineering and marine urban development. Dafforn et al. 5. Recreational Fisheries in Australia. Griffiths et al.6. Biosecurity and Marine Pests in Coastal Waters. Piola et al.
Other Submissions &/OR Interest• Geosciences Australia• Bureau of Meteorology• WAMSI• Microbial consortia• FRDC Indigenous
Research Group• Numerous individual
researchers
• Victorian Coastal Council• SeaChange TaskForce• Prawn Farmers
Association• NSW OEH and DPI• Australian Maritime
Safety Association• IMAS
Ten Coastal Science Priorities1. Better characterise coastal habitats, environment processes and define
envelopes of natural variability. 2. Understand catchment & contaminant pathways & define thresholds of concern3. Address cumulative impacts and identify important stressor interactions.4. Develop bio‐observing technologies.5. Understanding connectivity and resource use. 6. Incorporate quantitative and qualitative social and cultural perspectives into
coastal decision‐making.7. Develop, test and apply eco‐engineering approaches.8. Develop methods to mitigate coastal hazards.9. Improve data coordination and accessibility.10. Support the development of urban/coastal industries.
Why do this? National Outcomes• Stronger alignment with national policies • Accurate maps of coastal estate.• Improved management of key coastal natural and cultural assets • Identification of trade‐offs and better prioritization and decision‐
making• More efficient, relevant and reliable monitoring and assessment• Better preparedness and resilience to natural disasters and extreme
weather events• Social license to operate and improved human well being
Issue – Knowing the extent, condition, trajectory and resilience of coastal assets
• Lack spatial and baseline information for regional and planning and approvals
• Envelope of “natural” conditions• Lack efficient and effective
monitoring technologies• ecosystem connectivity and
integrated a whole‐of‐system understanding
Science Needs – assessing the extent conditioand trajectory of coastal assets
• Mapping methods for rapid and comprehensive spatial mapping of terrestrial and aquatic coastal habitats
• Development of sustained bio‐physical and bio‐observing technologies
• Develop whole‐of‐region and nested integrated coastal models that can be readily applied to assess specific coastal scenarios
Bio-observing: eco-’omics
• Improved understanding of microbial processes
• Metagenomic & Transcriptomic approaches to biomonitoring
• Understanding ecosystem function-diversity links
Issue: Contamination• Historical Legacies and ongoing inputs
• Major contaminants: metals, herbicides, pesticides nutrients and sedimentation
• “Emerging Contaminants”: POPs, plastics, pharmaceuticals, CO2
• Little monitoring of contaminants or their impacts
• Result: social, economic and ecological values threatened
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Research needs: Contamination
• Establishing regionally specific guidelines and thresholds• Novel bio‐functional diagnostics• Contaminant interactions research• Methods for research on new contaminants
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Issue – Biotic Invasions• Pressure ‐ Increasing coastal trade,
climate change, recreational vessel movement, aquaculture and habitat modification
• Result – increasing rate of biotic invasionwith economic and ecological costs
Research needs: Biotic Invasion• Improved methods for rapid detection of invasive marine species
• Novel incursion prevention methods
• Introduced disease and parasite research
• National coordination of research programs
Issue: We’ve paved ‘paradise’ • Pressure ‐ Increasing coastal
urbanisation, climate change and port development
• Result – foreshore armouring, addition of artificial structures, beach nourishment and habitat loss
Research Needs – Eco‐engineering• Multi‐disciplinary Projects to test innovative eco‐engineering approaches to coastal development
• Multi‐functional objectives for coastal engineering (e.g. carbon sequestration, habitat provision)
• Large scale field trials and adaptive Management Studies
Issue ‐ Recreational Fishing• ~3.36 M Australians (19.5%) fished in 2000/01• 23.2M fishing trips to catch 72 M fish• Expenditure estimated at $1.8B per year• Diversity of marine species captured • Significant economic and social benefits• Recreational harvest for many species
significant and may exceed commercial catches
Research Needs ‐ Recreational Fishing• Long‐term monitoring including catch, effort, participation, social wellbeing and economic contribution
• Better understand the social and economic costs and benefits of coastal recreation.
• Design and maintain a national database on recreational fisheries
Issue: Incorporating Indigenous Coastal Knowledge
• Traditional owners with cultural & legal rights• Deep connections between land, sea and people;• Solutions that encompass values, aspirations &
cultural knowledge • Indigenous Protected Areas established• Co‐management arrangements• Major industry engagement & interaction
Research Needs: Indigenous Knowledge• Recognise and incorporate
indigenous knowledge and management techniques into coastal NRM
• Co‐developed research programs• Protocols, monitoring & evaluation
frameworks for the understanding, value of indigenous coastal resource use, and risks to those values
Issue ‐ Better Access to Coastal InformationForecasting
Reporting
Analysis
Integration
Aggregation
Quality assurance
CollationMonitoring
DistributionDone poorly to well
Done poorly
Done well, where done
Drowning in Data, Gasping for Information
Science Needs ‐ Better Access to Coastal Information
• Consistent approaches to data and information management
• open data standards, vocabularies, provenance• enhanced discovery of data products and
services.• Data – Model assimilation• Methods to forecast environmental and climate
conditions• Better Visualisation
What do we need? ‐ Infrastructure• Sustained observational network of regionally
representative coastlines and estuaries• Resourcing of long‐term ecological research sites • Access to archives of current and new satellite data and
real time data streams for forecasting and surveillance • Support lab and field based experimental infrastructure • Computer infrastructure to develop a coordinated public‐
access coastal knowledge hub.
What do we need? –Training & Capacity Building• University training in ecotoxicology, risk assessment and
environmental genomics, bioinformatics, social sciences, economics, planning, eco‐engineering and ecosystem modelling
• Maintain national expertise • Develop methods and support training for non‐scientists to assist
in the collection of data• Empower government, industry and communities to make better
use of coastal information services in decision‐making.• Translate coastal research to best‐practice and ‘how to’ guidance
on coastal issues• Bring disciplines together – e.g. engineers and social economics
Realisation – Funding• Coordinate funding that enhances collaboration across University
and Government Institutional boundaries and with Industry.• Fund initiatives that favour interdisciplinary and cross‐disciplinary
team approaches. • Develop formal programs to promote international collaboration • Directed and strategic use of offset funding to test coastal
innovations• Discretionary research funds should not be used to support on‐
going operational monitoring.
What do we need? – Information Management • Build upon and support NCRIS investments in data and
computational infrastructure to provide better access to coastal data.
• Targeted investment in coastal databases: – Existing: NEXIS, NEDF, NFSDF– New: registry of recreational fishers and a portal on recreational
fisheries, accepted parameter libraries for EIA modelling
• Clearinghouse of best practice information and guidelines• Ongoing development of consistent open data standards,
vocabularies, provenance and discovery of data
Overview ContributorsName Institution Contribution
Andy Steven CSIRO Theme Convenor/Principle author
Emma Johnston UNSW and Sydney Institute of Marine Science Theme Convenor/Principle author
Jo Banks Sydney Institute of Marine Science Author
Peter Bayliss CSIRO Senior author – Indigenous research
Marcus Barber CSIRO Senior author – Indigenous research
Simon Apte CSIRO Land and Water Senior author – Contaminants
Shane Griffiths CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Senior author – Recreational fisheries
Richard Piola Defence Science and Technology Organisation Senior author – Biosecurity & NIS
Melanie Bishop Macquarie University Senior author – Climate change
Katherine Dafforn UNSW Senior author – Green Engineering
Mariana Mayer Pinto UNSW Senior author – Green Engineering