Fish diet heats up marine biodiversity hotspot
Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Abstract: Conservation decisions often need to be made rapidly, and under considerable uncertainty. Although managers may want to delay decisions until more information can be gathered, they can often afford neither the money nor the time required. Decision theory offers a set of tools that can offer reliable support in these circumstances by incorporating the sources of uncertainty, and by faithfully propagating that uncertainty through to the solutions. However, by thoughtfully analysing the structure of the decision problem, it is possible to identify elements of the uncertainty that will have little or no impact on the decision. Such insights can drastically simplify the conservation problem, and mean that managers can direct critical time and resources towards more important parts of the problem. I will outline three case studies where careful analysis allows managers to side-step difficult elements of a conservation problem, resulting in simpler and more confident decisions.
Biography: Michael is a senior research fellow at the School of Botany in the University of Melbourne, and a Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence in Environmental Decisions and the National Environmental Research Hub on Environmental Decisions. His research combines mathematical modelling, spatial ecology and economics to investigate conservation decision-making under high levels of uncertainty, and under strong budgetary constraints. He received his doctorate from the department of mathematics at UQ in 2008, for research on spatial conservation prioritisation. In 2009 he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Melbourne in the Applied Environmental Decision Analysis group, before undertaking an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2010-2013) on invasive species eradications. He is currently a DECRA fellow, on a project involving the socio-economic implications of coral reef fish larval dispersal patterns.
Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen biodiversity pattern of coral reef fishes that suggests some fishes might be exceptionally vulnerable to environmental change. A new study shows plank
Scientists say stable seafood consumption amongst the world’s poorer coastal communities is linked to how local habitat characteristics influence fishing at different times of the year. In the co
An international group of scientists is predicting markedly different outcomes for different species of coral reef fishes under climate change – and have made substantial progress on picking the ‘
New research has found as climate change causes the world’s oceans to warm, baby sharks are born smaller, exhausted, undernourished and into environments that are already difficult for them to survi
Abstract: The vast majority of reef fishes have a life history consisting of a pelagic larval phase of typically 20 to 60 days, followed by larval settlement where they remain through their juvenile a
Abstract: Social networks have been and remain important across the Pacific Islands, and beyond, for building and maintaining social-ecological resilience. However, there is little quantitative infor
Abstract: The global conservation community is comprised of a range of organisations, processes, and professionals. Given the diversity of these actors, and the complexity of the systems that conser
Abstract: Seasons create a rhythm in nature and, by extension, in the lives of people who depend directly on natural resources. However, our understanding of how seasons affect the ways that people
Abstract: Oceanic shark populations have declined 77% over the past 60 years as a result of overexploitation in fisheries. However, sustainable shark management is limited to a few developed nations
Abstract: Vertigo3 is a new class of small, fast and agile ‘true-flight’ underwater glider, purposely designed for robotic, artificial intelligence-assisted broadscale marine surveys, and capable
Abstract: Recurrent marine heat waves are leading to widespread coral bleaching, transforming the structure and function of tropical coral reefs. Past bleaching events have highlighted large variatio
Abstract: Shallow-water tropical seascapes typically include a range of habitat types such as coral reefs, mangroves, macroalgal and seagrass beds. These habitats can occur in close proximity and are
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au