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Ground breaking data sharing project to better inform environmental assessments

A ground breaking project, to securely share data from industry, academia and government and better inform environmental approval processes, has been launched in Perth this morning by Western Australian Science Minister Stephen Dawson.

The Shared Environmental Analytics Facility (SEAF), which now has pilot programs in Cockburn Sound and the Pilbara, takes data from a broad range of sources to support environmental impact assessments and to create useful products such as maps, reports and forecasting tools.

SEAF was developed by The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI) and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), which have been joined by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) funded Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) for the next stage of the program.

WABSI CEO Professor Owen Nevin said it was an exciting project that met a local and global demand for more information about cumulative pressures on the environment.

“The key benefit of SEAF is that it unlocks the real value of environmental information available. It transforms science and shared data into useable tools, enabling decision-makers from industry, government and regulators to make more robust, repeatable and sustainable decisions,” Professor Nevin said.

The two pilot studies in Western Australia have been broadly supported by industries in the regions.

WAMSI CEO Dr Luke Twomey said it was important to help decision makers by consolidating as much scientific information as possible in areas where a population was having an impact on the marine environment and landscape.

This ultimately would inform important decisions.

“The pilot studies are a significant way of demonstrating that we can securely share the results of research across different sectors,” Dr Twomey said.

ARDC CEO Rosie Hicks said, “This is a smart new way of sharing information with good governance and strong IT protections to help regulators and industry make better decisions.”

Science Minister Stephen Dawson commended the collaboration and commitment by WABSI and WAMSI to create and develop their Data and Information Management Program.

“This is a world leading innovation research project being progressed in Western Australia that can dramatically change the way environmental approvals and assessments are prepared and progressed using the latest digital data available,” Minister Dawson said.

“The project can be a game changer for government, industries, regulators and the private sector in sourcing reliable, consistent and easy to access environmental information as part of their decision-making processes.”

“I have been lucky enough to be involved in the development of this ground breaking project for a number of years and I am very pleased these pilot projects in the Cockburn Sound and the Pilbara are being launched and progressed,” Minister Dawson said.

“Our government has invested significantly in bringing this project to fruition and this milestone is another example of how we’re supporting and advancing scientific research and innovation to enhance biodiversity outcomes for WA.”

Protections around accessing the data will work in a similar way to the sharing of health data, where there are access restrictions around confidentiality.

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Deputy Chair Lee McIntosh said a shared mechanism for consolidating and interpreting environmental data would be a very valuable tool for environmental impact assessment.

“The EPA welcomes any initiative that helps deliver protection and good environmental outcomes for our State’s significant assets,” Ms McIntosh said.

“I particularly look forward to this collaboration improving our understanding of cumulative impacts through well managed biodiversity data.”

You can find more information at the SEAF website: www.seaf.org.au

Water quality improving but Cockburn Sound still impacted by pollution legacy

Water quality in Cockburn Sound has been steadily improving for decades but seagrass and some fish stocks are still struggling to recover from the days of unrestricted pollution discharge, according to marine scientist Dr Fiona Webster.

Dr Webster, who works at the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation assessing marine proposals, was speaking to students about the impacts of marine pollutants as part of WAMSI’s Thinking Blue education outreach program.

The program features lectures by some of the state’s top marine scientists, including from WAMSI’s partner organisations.

Dr Webster told the students that in the 1970s there were concerns about the environmental impact of industry discharging pollutants such as nutrients and heavy metals straight into Cockburn Sound.

“Around 80 percent of seagrass was lost and there were concerns people couldn’t swim or couldn’t fish and many were worried,” Dr Webster said.

“Whilst the extent of environmental deterioration sounds extreme, you have to remember that the Environmental Protection Act didn’t exist until 1986,” she said.

To protect Cockburn Sound, the State Government introduced two key initiatives; firstly direct discharges were banned and secondly the State Environment Policy for Cockburn Sound was developed.

Dr Webster said that while parts of Cockburn Sound will remain industrialised, the State Environment Policy ensured environmental, social and cultural values were protected and the water was safe to swim in and fish were safe to eat.

“Monitoring has shown the water quality has been improving since then and most areas now have good water quality,” Dr Webster said. “But seagrass is not recovering so well.”

“Part of that could be the organic nutrient load in the sediment.”

“Some fish stocks are also still depressed including the garfish and blue swimmer crabs.”

Whilst water quality in Cockburn is looking good, there are always new and emerging contaminants to watch out for such as PFAS (a key constituent in fire fighting foam) and microplastics.

Dr Webster told the students there was good work going on to support the environment including the replenishment of fish stocks and the Seeds for Snapper program. This involved volunteers collecting seagrass seeds and dropping them in areas needing regeneration.

Early inspiration

One of the aims of Thinking Blue is to inspire students to study marine science.

Dr Webster told the students, until her dad gave her a pair of goggles when she was six years old, she’d been nervous of seaweed.

“When I had my goggles on, suddenly I could see fish and bubbles and kelp.”

She later studied science and did a PhD after completing researching at Ningaloo Reef.

She told the students her career had ‘meandered’ from measuring crayfish on commercial vessels at the Abrolhos Islands to spending 18 months on a yacht off Madagascar to working with an Australian aid organisation in Tonga.

It’s a career journey that certainly inspires.

You can watch Dr Fiona Webster’s lecture here.