Western Australia’s largest marine environmental information database

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Western Australia’s capability to respond to environmental pressures including marine heatwaves, oil spills and fish kills, has been significantly improved by the development of a ground-breaking initiative that will see hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of government and industry survey information made publicly available.

The Index of Marine Surveys for Assessments (IMSA) portal was launched last night by the Minister for Water; Forestry; Innovation and ICT; Science; Youth; the Hon Dave Kelly MLA.

 

(L-R) Minister for Science Hon. Dave Kelly MLA, WAMSI CEO Luke Twomey, Executive Director DWER Nygarie Goyal, EPA Chair Tom Hatton, Executive Director Pawsey Supercomputing Centre  Mark Stickells and WAMSI Chair Paul Vogel at the launch of IMSA

 

 

The new online platform, developed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), provides the first free access to vast amounts of environmental impact assessment data that would otherwise be locked away.

WAMSI Chair Paul Vogel said IMSA achieves a key priority identified in the WA Blueprint for Marine Science.

“Data sharing is integral to the research that will address the information needs of industry and regulators,” Dr Vogel said. “Achieving this major milestone within the first five years of the Blueprint is an outstanding accomplishment and I congratulate all those involved.”

DWER Director General Mike Rowe said it’s estimated that more than $50 million per year is spent undertaking marine surveys for environmental impact assessments in Western Australia.

“By collating and providing access to existing data, IMSA will lead to lasting benefits for industry, Government, the community and the environment,” Mr Rowe said. “It will result in more efficient assessments and an expanded knowledge base of the State’s vast and unique marine environment.”

The portal, called BioCollect, is provided by Atlas of Living Australia. It will provide access to marine survey reports, metadata and map layers as well as the processed data products and raw data packages which will be stored at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.

Related Links:

Index of Marine Surveys for Assessments (IMSA) portal

DWER media statement

IMSA launch photos

 

An artist’s expedition to the deep sea Bremer Canyon

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By Angela Rossen

The Falkor research vessel at this moment is floating above the Bremer Canyon. Below us the remotely controlled vehicle explores the depths beaming up footage. It is operated from the control room by the engineers who navigate the cliffs and sandy flats of the canyon and employ almost surgical precision to collect particular specimen.

This exploration builds on the research of Dr Macolm McCulloch begun years ago. It is exciting that this team of scientists from institutions around the world, led by our own Dr Julie Trotter, is undertaking this work with state of the art equipment.

 

The RV Falkor control room 

 

The Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), the conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD), and the Multibeam instruments have been in operation harvesting information throughout the last four weeks. We have only one week left of this amazing treasure hunt. The CTD has harvested water samples at every depth that are being analysed against a number of criteria. The benthic topographic maps that have been almost constantly generated during this voyage will fill in the gaps of our knowledge and understanding of these three great West Australian canyons.

 

Photos of foraminifera brought up from the depths 

 

It has been fascinating to watch the video footage of the deep where no sunlight goes where communities of corals and associated animal live far beyond our imagination. Some of these species we gaze upon have never been seen before. The video footage beamed up and samples brought to the surface will be the subject of research for years as their secrets are carefully unravelled in the laboratories of the scientists contributing to this exciting endeavour.

I continue drawing, painting and photographing these wonders.

Everyone is invited to watch the live steam of ROV footage narrated by the Dr Marco Taviani of the Institute of marine Sciences in Bologna. Marco’s inspired story telling takes one deep into the past from our present day vantage to understand the secrets of these deep silent places.

The link on the Schmidt Oceans Institute website to watch live streams is Live from R/V Falkor on the Schmidt Ocean Institute website.

The best way to get updates about when live streaming is happening is to subscribe to the YouTube channel – and get email updates everytime livestreaming begins. Events are promoted on the social media channels, so if you follow on Facebook or Twitter, you will get updates.
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Paul Vogel to Chair Western Australian Marine Science Institution

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Following a major governance review, the Western Australian Marine Science Institution has welcomed Dr Paul Vogel AM as the new chair of its board. Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and experience across three jurisdictions in environmental impact assessment, regulatory reform and achieving strategic environmental outcomes.

Currently a non-executive board director and strategic consultant, Dr Vogel was chair of Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) from 2007 – 2015. Prior to that he was the inaugural chief executive and chair of the South Australian EPA from 2002 – 2007.

Dr Vogel has also held senior executive positions in the WA Departments of the Premier and Cabinet and Environmental Protection. He holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Western Australia.

Dr Vogel is chair of the national Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was appointed to the Northern Territory (NT) EPA in January 2016 and became Chairman of the NT EPA and a member of the NT Planning Commission in November 2016.

WAMSI would like to thank Bruce Lake, who stepped in as interim chair of the board in January 2019 to oversee WAMSI’s governance review process. Bruce Lake is Director and previous Chair of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) and was a member of the Premier’s Roundtable discussions to guide the foundation of a long-term collaboration between all sectors operating in WA’s marine environment.

The process of filling positions on the new WAMSI board is underway. The focus for WAMSI’s new skills-based and independent board will be on delivering key priorities in the WA Government’s Blueprint for Marine Science 2050 and seeking further opportunities for collaborative, strategic marine research.

WAMSI Announces New Strategic Board and Chair

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After more than 10 years in operation, the Western Australian Marine Science Institution has undergone a major governance review and on Thursday (26 March) welcomed a new board led by Dr Paul Vogel AM as chair.

The reinvigorated board replaces the existing research and government partnership representatives who have led the institution through three major research programs that have vastly improved our understanding of the Western Australian marine environment.

The board membership, which reaches an institutional milestone for WAMSI with a more balanced gender representation, consists of:

  • Dr Paul Vogel (Chair), Non-executive board director and strategic consultant
  • Dr Debra Cousins, Executive Director, Science and Innovation, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation
  • Dr Ian Cresswell, Environmental Scientist
  • Mr Bruce Lake, Director and previous Chair of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA)
  • Dr Rod Lukatelich, Non-Executive Director and Consultant
  • Dr Rochelle Macdonald, CEO Mid West Ports Authority and Non Executive Director Ports Australia
  • Ms Shirley McPherson, member of the official Australian Delegation to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

The focus for WAMSI’s new skills-based and independent board will be on delivering key priorities in the WA Government’s Blueprint for Marine Science and seeking further opportunities for collaborative, strategic marine research.

“I am delighted to be appointed as chair to continue the great work of WAMSI under a much improved governance structure with exciting prospects for further strategic and collaborative marine research to benefit all our stakeholders that will also deliver enhanced economic, environment and social outcomes for WA,” Dr Vogel said.

WAMSI CEO Dr Luke Twomey echoed the need for a strategic change.

“Times have changed since WAMSI was launched in 2007,” Dr Twomey said. “I’m optimistic that this structure will help us to move into a new strategic phase that responds to the changing economic climate.”

“I’d like to welcome the new board and chair and thank the outgoing board members for their valuable contribution,” Dr Twomey said. “I’d especially like to thank Bruce Lake, for stepping in as interim chair to oversee the governance review process.”

The new board will meet again in April 2020.

RELATED LINKS

WAMSI Board

Encrusting sponge found in Kimberley coral reefs

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The coral-killing sponge Terpios hoshinota has been detected in the Kimberley for the first time by scientists from the Western Australian Museum.

Terpios hoshinota is commonly referred to as ‘black disease’ because of its colour and because it overgrows both live and dead coral. It has been reported in many areas of the Indo-Pacific, including the Great Barrier Reef, but has not previously been found in Western Australian waters.

The sponge was detected during fieldwork in 2016 by the WA Museum’s Dr Jane Fromont, Dr Zoe Richards and Dr Nerida Wilson, with assistance from the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation and the Uunguu Rangers. Their research has now been published on open access scientific journal platform MDPI.

Dr Fromont said the Kimberley region of the State has some of the least impacted coral reefs globally.

“We report for the first time the presence of Terpios hoshinota in the eastern Indian Ocean on Kimberley inshore coral reefs,” Dr Fromont said.

“It is important to note that while there has been no outbreak event by Terpios hoshinota in the Kimberley, our observations of its presence suggest monitoring may be required to reduce the possibility of it spreading undetected. Terpios hoshinota is visually striking, and we encourage regional management authorities to include it in their reef health surveys.”

Dr Fromont said while the causes of Terpios hoshinota overgrowing corals remain unclear, the ability of the species to spread over coral reefs and cause coral death is concerning.

Where possible, small fragments of gray-black coral-encrusting sponge should be collected for expert identification at the WA Museum.

A copy of the research paper can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/10/184

Photo courtesy Dr Zoe Richards.

WAMSI Bulletin December 2019

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Bush Telegraph: Landscope Guest Column

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When I first started as CEO of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), over two years ago, we were well on our way to delivering two of the biggest collaborative science projects ever undertaken in Western Australia. One looking into environmental thresholds for dredging and the other creating the first-ever picture of the Kimberley marine environment, how it has changed over time, where it is now, and how it might change in the future. Combined, these two projects represent the collaborative efforts of more than 300 scientists from 50 organisations over five years.

The result has been an invaluable amount of new knowledge that has seen us, as a society, jump decades ahead in our ability to understand how best to manage this precious resource.

But collaboration of this scale comes with its challenges, and it’s a testament to the will of the WAMSI partnership and all those involved, including the Traditional Owners, that we have successfully achieved what we set out to do.

The experience has strengthened many new and ongoing science collaborations for the benefit of our environment and ‘right-way science’ that respects, learns and works with Traditional Owners is becoming the new norm.

Collaboration is imperative in the current economic and environmental climate. The simple fact is that to be able to achieve a sustainable future, we need to work more cost effectively, faster and smarter than ever before. When we’re talking about the marine environment and the ‘blue economy’, we’re talking about understanding large-scale issues, and that can’t be done without collaboration.

We all have our different motivations for what we are trying to achieve, both organisationally and individually, but our shared vision is to successfully manage our marine environment for the future.  To quote Charles Darwin: “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

 

This article is republished from Landscope under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Malgana People Add Their Voice to Science Priorities For Shark Bay

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Generations of Malgana people from Gatharragudu (Shark Bay) have come together to start the process of understanding the decades of research that has been carried out in the World Heritage site and to develop priorities for the future.

Supported by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) partnership, the historic meeting between Malgana Elders, the Malgana Land and Sea Management Reference Group, Malgana rangers from both the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, and the Malgana Land and Sea Management Program, has brought together western science and Aboriginal knowledge to contribute to a science plan.

“We’re working to ensure that Malgana voices are included in the science plan for the area,” WAMSI Research Director Dr Jenny Shaw said. “This has been an important step in returning a large body of research back to Country so the Traditional Owners can make an informed assessment about their priorities for science.”

Above: UWA seagrass scientist Matt Fraser talks about some of the research on Gatharragudu (Shark Bay)

 

Scientists have been raising concerns about the need to monitor and understand changes in Shark Bay since a marine heatwave in 2011 wiped out 900 square kilometres of seagrass – 36% of the total coverage. This in turn has had an impact on the whole ecosystem.

A 2018 workshop convened by the Shark Bay World Heritage Advisory Committee classified the area as being in the highest category of vulnerability to future climate change.

The Federal Court of Australia formally recognised the Malgana people as native title holders in December 2018.

The Malgana Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) acknowledged that a combination of western science and traditional ecological knowledge is important to help manage any future changes.

 

Above: Malgana DBCA ranger Cody Oakley with Land and Sea Management Program ranger Pat Oakley and Malgana Elders Gloria Boddington and Ada Fosser Above: (L-R) Malgana DBCA Ranger Klaas Liezenga, DBCA Marine Park Coordinator Luke Skinner, Malgana Land and Sea Management Reference Group member Maxine Hansen, DPIRD research scientist Alastair Harry, WAMSI Research Director Dr Jenny Shaw, Malgana Land and Sea Management Reference Group member Nick Pedrocchi and DBCA Principal Research Scientist Dr Kelly Waples.

 

Guidelines developed through WAMSI’s Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Science Project were also presented at the workshop to support the MAC in developing processes and protocols for scientists working on Country.

“This workshop has been a rewarding experience for us as researchers making the cultural shift toward right-way science with Traditional Owners on Malgana Country,” Dr Shaw said. “This is such a unique part of the world, it needs our coordinated and collaborative efforts in order to manage it for future generations.”

The WAMSI Shark Bay Science Plan will be released in 2020.

Above: (Back L-R) Malgana Elders Tom Poland and Johnny Oxenham, DBCA Rangers Klaas Liezenga, Kieran Cross and Cody Oakley with (Front L-R) Malgana Elders, Gloria Boddington, Ada Fosser and Kathy Oakley

 

Wannga Barraja Wirriya Malgana Ngurra Gatharragudu Gantharri Yajella (Talking about land and sea on our Malgana home, Two Waters, with our Elders and friends)

AMSA Indigenous Workshop Outcomes

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Promoting collaborative and respectful partnerships for Sea Country research in WA

Some 60 Indigenous and marine science participants at the Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) Indigenous Workshop held in Fremantle in July this year identified the Kimberley saltwater science guidelines as a potential blueprint for regionalising processes and protocols for research.

The fourth annual Indigenous workshop convened under a partnership between the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub and the AMSA brought together a representative group to discuss a way forward on developing better ways of working together on sea country.

The WAMSI Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Science Project (KISSP), which subsequently led to the development of the Indigenous Saltwater Advisory Group (ISWAG), has been recognised for its success in establishing a pathway for right-way research.

CEO Luke Twomey said the WAMSI science partnership was happy to support the rollout of the KISSP process and is already working with regions where WAMSI is developing science plans.

“We have just completed a three-day workshop with the Malgana people in Gathaagudu (Shark Bay) where the key objective was to understand the science priorities for the Malgana people so their voices could be incorporated into the Shark Bay Science Plan process,” Dr Twomey said. “Part of that process is providing the Traditional Owners with an understanding of what science has already been done on Country, who the science  organisations are and what guidelines have been developed elsewhere. From there the Aboriginal Corporations can develop their own processes and protocols for working with scientists on Country.”

The 2019 AMSA Indigenous Workshop Summary Report is available here.

Support Grows for Digital Environmental Impact Assessment Transformation

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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