Identifying critical marine plant habitats in the GBRWHA (C1.3)

Task leader: Mr Len McKenzie, Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries.

Task associates:
Dr K Dobbs, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Dr D Haynes, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

This task addresses the issue of maintaining marine plant ecosystems and is integral to Program C. Maintaining ecosystem quality. The task will provide managers of Marine Parks and fisheries with accurate information about the distribution, status and trends of critical marine plant habitats.

This task is of significance to the 25 year Strategic Plan for the GBRWHA, as seagrasses are described as one of the biological communities which the GBRWHA ensures the persistence of (broad area 1. Conservation). This task is necessary to obtain and disseminate accurate and timely information on seagrasses (broad area 4. Research and Monitoring) which will help decision makers (broad area 2. Resource management; broad area 5. Integrated planning) and maximise community confidence (broad area 3. Education, communication, consultation and commitment) in decisions made regarding seagrasses in the GBRWHA.

An outcome will be maps of tropical seagrasses for management of the resource and assessment of possible impacts. Much of the seagrass mapping conducted in the GBRWHA is issue related (eg. cyclone and flood events, dredging, coastal developments) and requires up-to-date maps for best practise management decisions.