Filling gaps in global assessments of ecosystems to benefit coastal wetland conservation

Posted by Natasha Watson
On April 21, 2021

By Dr Chris Brown The conservation of coastal wetland ecosystems, seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves, receives less attention than other higher profile coastal ecosystems, like coral reefs. In a new study we highlight how filling gaps in the assessment of coastal wetlands may help advance coastal wetlands. Ecosystem assessment frameworks, like the Ocean Health Index, the IUCN […]

Is the seagrass getting enough light? Computer says no!

Posted by Natasha Watson
On April 20, 2021

By Dr Ryan Pearson Highlights Seagrass is vital for fisheries, climate mitigation, and more. Human activities affect the light that seagrass needs to survive. Artificial intelligence can estimate light and inform ecological management. Our machine learning-derived submerged vegetation light model (SVLM) is >99% accurate. The SVLM can be used to adaptively manage submerged habitats. Seagrasses […]

Predicting carbon emissions from mangrove loss to count progress on climate change

Posted by Natasha Watson
On April 6, 2021

Mangroves are a blue carbon ecosystem and have among the highest carbon densities of any tropical forest. In a new study we show how action to prevent mangrove loss can contribute to reducing future greenhouse gas emission. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, nations need to show how they intend to reduce carbon emissions. Protection of mangroves is an important climate […]

An annotated fish dataset in unconstrained seagrass habitats for machine learning algorithms

Posted by Natasha Watson
On March 17, 2021

By Ellen Ditria A new data report and a publicly available dataset will allow further exploration of the use of computer vision techniques in aquatic environments. Computer vision techniques in ecology have gained much attention as they can quickly and accurately process images from videos. They allow scientists to monitor both individuals and populations at […]

Multiple stressors in coastal wetlands: shifting our focus to real world scenarios

Posted by Marina Richardson
On January 20, 2021

By Andria Ostrowski Vegetated coastal wetlands including saltmarshes, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows store large amounts of carbon, protect shorelines from storms and erosion, support enormous biodiversity and improve water quality by filtering nutrients, contaminants and sediments. Despite their ecological and economic importance, increasing human settlement and development along coastlines introduce stressors that […]

Global Trends in Mangrove Forest Fragmentation

Posted by Marina Richardson
On December 21, 2020

Dale Bryan-Brown finished his PhD this year under the supervision of GLOW Director Professor Rod Connolly and Research Leader Dr. Chris Brown investigating global trends in mangrove forest fragmentation. His research paper was a finalist for the best student paper award in the 2020 Australian Rivers Institute Awards at Griffith University. Watch his presentation below […]

New funding to support a synthesis of mangrove threats, governance, and conservation outcomes.

Posted by Marina Richardson
On December 11, 2020

By Dr Mischa Turschwell & Dr Dominic Andradi-Brown Mangrove forests are critical ecosystems that support threatened species and provide vital ecosystem services including the provision of habitat for fishes and other marine species, protecting shorelines from erosion and the storage and sequestration of carbon, a process critical in the fight against climate change. Despite the […]

Deep learning for ecological monitoring: performance in novel habitats and benefits of varied training data

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On October 26, 2020

By Ellen Ditria, PhD candidate Deep learning has fast become recognised as a powerful data processing tool for ecologists faced with vast amounts of image-based data. The ability of deep learning to accurately detect target species in videos and images unlocks the potential for rapid processing of data that usually requires hours of manual labour. […]

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Citizen Science can Supercharge Ecological Monitoring

Posted by Marina Richardson
On October 19, 2020

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Citizen Science can Supercharge Ecological Monitoring By Dr. Eva McClure People often imagine the future of technology, and science fiction has depicted many dystopian futures where artificial intelligence (AI) has taken over human civilisation. While AI surpassing human cognition is still in the realms of science fiction, AI technology and […]

How can computer vision supercharge fish connectivity research?

Posted by Marina Richardson
On October 13, 2020

By Sebastian Lopez-Marcano (@seabassphd) Studying animal movement is crucial. Animal movement research is conducted to monitor ecosystem health, understand ecological dynamics and address management and conservation questions. In marine environments, there are different methods to measure fish movement. From nets, tags and statistical modelling, the use of different techniques are providing us with new information […]