University of Western Australia
A team of researchers has launched a new online web tool to help with the restoration and creation of sustainable marine ecosystems.
Led by researchers at The University of Western Australia, Flinders University and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the study was published in Communications Biology.
Project leader Dr Georgina Wood, from Flinders University and an Adjunct Research Fellow at UWA, said global efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystems were intensifying.
“The increase in scale of marine restoration projects means there is a need to ensure that restoration practices keep up with the latest available science, including the use of cutting-edge genomic information to make informed decisions about where to source restoration stock material,” Dr Wood said.
“Our world is changing now more rapidly than ever before and ideally, every restoration project would incorporate climate adaptation into their design, but the data needed for this is typically difficult to access.”
The Reef Adapt initiative harnesses genetic data from diverse marine species – including key reef-building corals and habitat-forming kelps, but with scope to expand to other species – to map areas likely to harbour populations adapted to current and future environmental conditions.
The web platform is designed to allow rapid incorporation of genetic, biophysical and environmental data for planning of marine restoration and enhance conservation initiatives.
The platform will initially house data for 27 species collected from 420 sample locations across the globe.Users will also be able to upload their own data to the site, further supporting the conservation of other species and areas.
Professor Thomas Wernberg, from UWA’s Oceans Institute, said due to increased human pressures and climate change much of the world’s ecosystems were in various stages of decline and in urgent need of restoration.
“We need to expand the tools available to promote diverse, adaptable and resilient ecosystems,” Professor Wernberg said.
“This platform will host vital genetic information for government, not-for-profit and community organisations to improve both immediate and long-term restoration outcomes.”