DNA reveals the past and future of coral reefs
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
From 2005 to 2022, the main node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was headquartered at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland (Australia)
Abstract: Protected areas in marine and terrestrial environments have tended to be residual to extractive uses and have therefore done little to intervene in the loss of biodiversity. Their “impact” has been small, with impact defined as the difference that protected areas make to one or more intended outcomes, relative to the counterfactual of no intervention or a different intervention. Thinking around the impact of protected areas is emerging from at least three previously distinct threads: the design of BACI experiments to estimate the effectiveness of protected areas; ideas from the field of impact evaluation in medicine, education, and development aid; and conservation science directed at measuring biases in protection and influencing policy to reduce these biases. This presentation is based on a draft manuscript for a theme issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society dedicated to impact of protected areas. The presentation uses two conceptual maps – one of the factors influencing impact of protected areas, and one on decision making to achieve impact – to develop feasible approaches to setting policy targets and operational objectives for planning and management so that the impact of both established and yet-to-be established protected areas can be maximized.
Bio:Bob Pressey leads the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies’ conservation planning group, with projects covering diverse topics and geographies, and aimed at influencing policy and practice for conservation.
New DNA techniques are being used to understand how coral reacted to the end of the last ice age in order to better predict how they will cope with current changes to the climate. James Cook Univer
A new study on the effects of climate change in five tropical countries has found fisheries are in more trouble than agriculture, and poor people are in the most danger. Distinguished Profess
James Cook University researchers have found brightly coloured fish are becoming increasingly rare as coral declines, with the phenomenon likely to get worse in the future. Christopher Hemingson, a
Researchers working with stakeholders in the Great Barrier Reef region have come up with ideas on how groups responsible for looking after the reef can operate more effectively when the next bleaching
Abstract: As marine species adapt to climate change, their heat tolerance will likely be under strong selection. Individual variation in heat tolerance and its heritability underpin the potential fo
Abstract: The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology of marine organisms, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal
Abstract: Macroalgal meadows are a prominent, yet often maligned component of the tropical seascape. Our work at Ningaloo reef in WA demonstrate that canopy forming macroalgae provide habitat for ad
Abstract: Sharks are generally perceived as strong and fearsome animals. With fossils dating back at least 420 million years, sharks are not only majestic top predators but they also outlived dinosa
Abstract: Connectivity plays a vital role in many ecosystems through its effects on fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. Its consequences for populations and metapopulations have been
Abstract: Evolution of many eukaryotic organisms is affected by interactions with microbes. Microbial symbioses can ultimately reflect host’s diet, habitat range, and even body shape. However, how
Abstract: The past few years have seen unprecedented coral bleaching and mortality on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) but the consequences of this on biodiversity are not yet known. This talk will expl
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