University of Tasmania
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Stuart-Smith et al 2017 Bioscience.pdf (1.16 MB)

Assessing national biodiversity trends for rocky and coral reefs through the integration of citizen science and scientific monitoring programs

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 01:27 authored by Richard Stuart-SmithRichard Stuart-Smith, Graham EdgarGraham Edgar, Neville BarrettNeville Barrett, Bates, AE, Susan BakerSusan Baker, Bax, NJ, Becerro, MA, Berkhout, J, Julia BlanchardJulia Blanchard, Brock, DJ, Clark, GF, Antonia CooperAntonia Cooper, Davis, TR, Paul Day, Duffy, E, Holmes, TH, Howe, SA, Jordan, A, Kininmonth, S, Knott, NA, Lefcheck, JS, Scott LingScott Ling, Parr, A, Elisabeth StrainElisabeth Strain, Sweatman, H, Thomson, R
Reporting progress against targets for international biodiversity agreements is hindered by a shortage of suitable biodiversity data. We describe a cost-effective system involving Reef Life Survey citizen scientists in the systematic collection of quantitative data covering multiple phyla that can underpin numerous marine biodiversity indicators at high spatial and temporal resolution. We then summarize the findings of a continental- and decadal-scale State of the Environment assessment for rocky and coral reefs based on indicators of ecosystem state relating to fishing, ocean warming, and invasive species and describing the distribution of threatened species. Fishing impacts are widespread, whereas substantial warming-related change affected some regions between 2005 and 2015. Invasive species are concentrated near harbors in southeastern Australia, and the threatened-species index is highest for the Great Australian Bight and Tasman Sea. Our approach can be applied globally to improve reporting against biodiversity targets and enhance public and policymakers’ understanding of marine biodiversity trends.

History

Publication title

Bioscience

Volume

67

Pagination

134-146

ISSN

0006-3568

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Amer Inst Biological Sci

Place of publication

1444 Eye St, Nw, Ste 200, Washington, USA, Dc, 20005

Rights statement

© The Author(s) 2017. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems