Funded by The Australian Research Council (Discovery Project)

Funding Amount: $401,287

Project start date: 2024

Researchers

  • Dr Francis Hui (CI), ANU 
  • Dr Patricia Menéndez (CI), University of Melbourne
  • Prof David Warton (CI), UNSW
  • Dr Skipton Woolley (PI), CSIRO
  • Dr Scott Foster (PI), CSIRO

Project Description

This project will develop statistical methods and software for clustering community ecology data, and use them to analyse systematic survey and citizen science program data collected along the Great Barrier Reef. By doing so, the project will address the dearth of statistical classification techniques for high-dimensional, multi-response data with complex relationships. When the resultant clustering methods are used to construct bioregions and characterise species’ environmental responses, they should significantly enhance evaluations of the impact of human activity and environmental change on coral diversity. Ultimately, these evaluations can underpin future decisions in the conservation and management of the Great Barrier Reef.

National Interest Statement

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on the planet, contributing an estimated $6.5 billion in annual revenue and 64,000 jobs to the Australian economy. Climate change is responsible for an unprecedented decline in the health of the Reef’s coral, posing the single most significant threat to its survival. Policymakers and practitioners currently struggle to make evidence-based decisions and interventions for the Reef’s survival due to the limitations of existing statistical techniques used to analyse large, complex multi-species datasets. This project will create cutting-edge statistical methods to help practitioners identify how coral communities will evolve over space and time in response to climate change. The knowledge and translational tools developed will be shared with conservation managers and environmental policymakers in the form of user-friendly software to help them improve Reef health monitoring, evaluation, and resource planning, and more effectively respond to critical conservation and biodiversity concerns. These outcomes will enhance the development and implementation of Reef monitoring programs and management policies, leading to the improved long-term sustainability of one of Australia’s ‘wonders of the world’ and vital economic assets.