Monitoring program highlights importance of reef preservation

A monitoring program to help inform decisions about sustainable use and long-term conservation of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is currently underway.

Co-designed by the CSIRO, CQUniversity and James Cook University with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and funded by a partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, SEABORNE (Sustainable usE And Benefits fOR mariNE) is a three-year project that aims to consolidate information about who uses the reef, how it is being used and the benefits that accrue.

CQUniversity researcher Dr Jeremy De Valck is one of the investigators working on the project which is focusing on two study areas – the Cairns Area Plan of Management and the Keppel Islands and Capricorn Bunkers.

Together with the rest of the SEABORNE team, he is developing an ecosystem accounting database designed to keep track of the many ecosystem services that exist in the GBR, along with their respective benefits and values to local residents, industries, government and First Nations peoples.

"It is a massive endeavour as data is rarely readily available for direct integration, and relevant information must be retrieved and assembled from a myriad of different sources," Dr De Valck explained.

Dr De Valck said the goal was to set up a system that is compatible with other monitoring systems already in place at GBRMPA, adding that a key innovative feature of the SEABORNE project was recognising the importance of First Nations Peoples’ perspectives when considering the cultural and spiritual benefits provided by their traditional land and sea Country.

"Hence, the SEABORNE team seeks to present their alternate worldview values alongside the use and benefits of the Reef recognised through economic value systems," he said.

“Reef managers have heaps of ecological data at their disposal at the moment; but on the contrary, they have very limited socio-economic information in a readily accessible format. This makes coastal planning and the treatment of natural resource allocation questions quite difficult.

"The information we gather as part of this project will be used for reef management decision-making into the future.”

>> Today (June 1) marks World Reef Awareness Day and it serves as a call to action for everyone to reflect on the delicate ecosystem of our ocean’s coral reefs.