AMSA Indigenous Workshop Outcomes
Promoting collaborative and respectful partnerships for Sea Country research in WA
AMSA Indigenous Workshop Outcomes
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Support Grows for Digital Environmental Impact Assessment Transformation
An ambitious project to harness the vast amounts of environmental data being produced in Western Australia that will ultimately improve outcomes for the state has received strong support from the meeting of Environment Ministers with the Commonwealth.
The meeting of Federal Government, State and Territory ministers on November 8 discussed critical environmental issues including Digital Transformation of Environmental Assessments.
In a statement posted by the Meeting of Environment Ministers the Ministers agreed: to work together to digitally transform environmental assessment systems, providing greater access to shared environmental data, less duplication and greater transparency.
The agreement goes on to state: Delays within the current system are a costly frustration to both proponents and environmental groups and have already been identified as a key area to address within the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act under Professor Graeme Samuel.
Professor Samuel is leading a review of Australia’s environmental law to tackle green tape and deliver greater certainty to business groups, farmers and environmental organisations.
If successful, Western Australia’s Digital Transformation of Environmental Assessments project being led by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) and its terrestrial counterpart, the Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), in conjunction with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), will transform the systems for environmental impact assessments.
A report released this month by the project Working Group lists a number of recommendations under two broad catergories: Streamlining Current Environmental Impact Assessments and Developing a Shared Analytic Framework for the Environment (SAFE).
In the report, which uses the Westport freight strategy as a case study, Dr Tom Hatton, EPA Chair and Chair of the Digital Environmental Impact Assessment Working Group describes the project as: “timely given current policy drivers to reform environmental assessment and approval systems”.
“There is an imminent explosion in the volume and variety of data that will help our understanding of the natural environment and biodiversity,” Dr Hatton said. “This includes genetics, species traits, species interactions, population ecologies, and more. With appropriate resourcing, we can establish the systems and skills that will allow us to take advantage of these developments as they occur over the next decade.”
Digital Transformation Pathway
Uncovering the Secrets of Saltwater Country
A $30 million, five-year research project has seen more than 200 scientists from 25 organisations work with Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers from seven saltwater country groups, across 23 projects, to gain a better understanding of the unique marine ecosystem of Western Australia’s Kimberley region. This work will help inform a compromise between protecting one of the world’s few remaining near-pristine coastal and marine environments, while supporting the region’s social and economic development. It could also help answer some global questions about environments that live on the edge of extreme conditions.
Click here to read the full story by Kelly Waples and Aleta Johnston in Landscope
Seafood Industry Hall of Fame honour for WAMSI Research Director
Feature Image: Worthy recipients of this year’s 2019 National Seafood Awards. Left to right: Jim Mendolia, Dr. Jenny Shaw, Alex Ogg, Greg Jenkins and Justine Arnold (Photo: Courtesy WAFIC) Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) Research Director, Dr Jenny Shaw, has been recognised at the 2019 National Seafood Industry Awards for her long-standing commitment to […]
Shark Bay Priorities Update
Work for the Shark Bay Priorities Project is well underway. There will be a number of outputs produced by the end of the year, including two publications.
WAMSI appoints community partnerships role for Shark Bay research
Acknowledging that partnerships and processes have not yet been established between scientists and the community in Shark Bay, the Western Australian Marine Science Institution has made a key community liaison appointment to support input into the marine science plan for the area. Taking on lessons learned from WAMSI’s Kimberley Marine Science Program and the Kimberley […]
Dredge Plume Modelling Guidelines
New guidelines for dredge plume modelling are being developed by CSIRO in partnership with the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI). Dredging and EIAs Dredging activities form part of many coastal developments in Australia, ranging from small maintenance activities to large scale dredging campaigns which involve the removal of large amounts of sediment. Some of […]
Perspectives on Dredging Symposium
Australia has experienced unprecedented levels of dredging over the last two decades and recently there has been a focus on dredging research in Western Australia. As a result, there have been some incredible advances in our understanding of impacts to the marine environment from dredging and how to better predict, monitor and manage dredging programs, […]
Dredging report builds confidence for environmental regulators
A report released on one of the largest single-issue environmental research programs in Australia that gained unprecedented access to industry dredging data, has been recognised by industry and government as a ground-breaking step forward for environmental regulation.