Newsletter
28 March 2025
Welcome to the March 2025 issue of The Blue Drummer, the newsletter of the National Environmental Science Program Marine and Coastal Hub.
This issue features insights from a project designed to help policymakers balance development with environmental protection in northern Australia. Thoughtful management of environmental flows, catchment run-off and water extraction will be needed to preserve ecosystems in the face of increased irrigated agriculture and future climate change.
Another management challenge is posed by feral ungulates such as pigs, buffalo, and cattle which cause damage to the environment. A hub study suggests Indigenous organisations are uniquely positioned to manage these threats, offering solutions grounded in deep local knowledge and cultural practices.
For southern Australia we feature a new interactive map of seafloor habitat that marks a significant step forward in the effective management of Australian Marine Parks. Users can explore the likely distribution of reef habitat between Western Australia’s Shark Bay and the Victoria-New South Wales border. The new maps are an important knowledge layer for managing Sea Country, as seafloor habitats such as reef and seagrasses are culturally important to many Aboriginal people in southern Australia.
Seafloor mapping is also relevant to our work on collating and reviewing environmental information for Australian offshore wind declaration areas. Hub projects have identified datasets and information sources across all six declaration areas. For the Gippsland region, this includes identifying improved mechanisms for data storage and discovery.
Collectively, hub projects are building national approaches to research and knowledge sharing through improved collaboration, data acquisition, accessibility and analysis. This supports Australia's state of the environment reporting, and advances the skills and experience of early career professionals. We highlight a few examples.
Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who attended our March research showcase. We look forward to keeping you up to date on the progress of our growing portfolio of projects.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Jordan, Marine and Coastal Hub southern node leader
Damien Burrows, Marine and Coastal Hub northern node leader
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Northern Australia development may pose risks to coastal and marine ecosystems
How can policymakers balance development with the protection of unique river ecosystems?
Zooming in on functional reef across southern Australia
A new map of seafloor habitat across southern Australia brings unprecedented clarity to the process of focussing marine environmental management.
Setting a framework for Indigenous-led feral ungulate control
A coordinated, Indigenous-driven approach to managing feral ungulate species is important to lasting environmental and cultural protection.
Gathering knowledge to assess windfarm development off Gippsland
We're collating knowledge on ecosystems, habitats, oceanography and priority species for declared windfarm areas and making it more useful to decision-makers.
A hub of opportunity for Australia's new generation of marine scientists
Hub projects provide an invaluable stepping stone for early career professionals as they build skills and pathways in collaborative marine research.
Healthy turnout for 2025 Marine and Coastal Hub Research Showcase
Government agencies, research users, policymakers and other stakeholders gather online to hear about the hub's latest research findings.
Research Plan 2025 projects ready to launch
Eight new hub projects will begin this year, expanding our efforts to support decision-making for Australia’s marine and coastal environments.
