Project Leader and Host
Organisation
Professor Helene Marsh, James Cook University
Project Description and Objectives
For detailed descriptions of the outputs for
this project for Year 4 (2009/2010) of the MTSRF Research
Programme, see the Annual Research
Plan.
This project harnesses the expertise of researchers
from four research providers and three end user institutions
together with Indigenous local experts to conduct world class
multidisciplinary problem-focused research that will enhance the
natural and social science information required to develop
effective management strategies for the populations of marine
species of conservation concern that occur in the Great Barrier
Reef World Heritage Area and Torres Strait. The priorities for
MTSRF funding have been determined in consultation with the key end
user groups. The research will be conducted across jurisdictions at
spatial scales relevant to ecology of the focal species and to the
end users of the research. The project will provide information
relevant to the sustainable use and management of marine species of
conservation concern in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
and Torres Strait. Where applicable, information from this project
will be delivered into the Data Integration and Synthesis framework
for reporting, using a spatial risk assessment approach.
Key objectives for Year 4 (2009/2010) of this
project are to:
-
Evaluate the effects of acoustic alarms on behaviour of marine
wildlife, with emphasis on coastal dolphins;
-
Evaluate the economic factors related to Indigenous hunting and
its management; and
-
Identify a series of robust and cost effective indictors of the
status of the dugong in the GBRWHA and explore whether the chosen
indicators could have wider application for other marine taxa of
conservation concern.
