Northern Australia's Amazing and Diverse Seagrass Habitats: From Historical Insights to Future Priorities

Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU

Carter, Alexandra;Collier, Catherine;Groom, Rachel;McMahon, Kathryn;Langlois, Lucas;Coles, Robert;Smith, Timothy;Smith, Caitlin;Navarro Otero, Alejandro;Cleguer, Christophe;li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers;Normanton Rangers;Burketown Rangers;Numbulwar Numburindi Rangers;Yugul Mangi Rangers;Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers;David, Madeina;Girringun Rangers;Seven Rivers Aboriginal Corporation;Tiwi Rangers;Armstrong, Jessica;Verrier, Frances;Vea, Jonathan;Angus, Laura;Karajarri Traditional Lands Association;Wellesley Islands Rangers

Tim Smith Alexandra Carter

Abstract

Northern Australia's amazing and diverse seagrass habitats face complex challenges requiring innovative solutions for conservation and management. Despite tropical seagrass’ significant economic, conservation and cultural values, knowledge of these ecosystems across northern Australia has historically been fragmented and the data frequently inaccessible. This talk describes some of the large multi-institution partnerships and projects that have invested in overcoming these barriers in recent years. We’ve compiled and made publicly available historical spatial data from the Great Barrier Reef to Ningaloo and modelled seagrass species distribution for the Reef. We’ve been filling knowledge gaps mapping seagrass with Traditional Owners and rangers in the Kimberley, Tiwi Islands, South East Arnhem Land, the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, West Cape York, Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef. We’re developing new methods for establishing seagrass baselines and monitoring using drones and remote sensing. And we’re discovering more about seagrass species-specific associations for tropical fish communities and megafauna. This work has transformed our understanding of species distributions in tropical Australia, identified knowledge gaps for future research, shed light on the role of marine reserves in seagrass conservation, and highlighted the central role of Indigenous rangers in monitoring and managing Sea Country in northern Australia.

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AMSA 2025: 59th Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference

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Melbourne, VIC, Australia

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Australian Marine Science Association

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Melbourne, VIC, Australia

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