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. […]

Balancing conflicting human values for seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves

Posted by Chris Brown
On July 25, 2020

The coast sits the intersection of many human activities. Management of coastal ecosystems is challenged by the conflicting values that humans hold for the coasts, including conservation, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, recreation and many others. One objective of the Global Wetlands Project is to help find ways that management can balance these different values for coasts […]

Long-distance sea turtle migration provides unique opportunity to combine and test exciting tracking techniques

Posted by Ryan Pearson
On July 17, 2020

By Dr Ryan Pearson In February 2016, a female loggerhead sea turtle dubbed ‘Marloo’ had a satellite transmitter attached to her shell on a beach south of Exmouth, Western Australia by the Gnaraloo wilderness foundation. Many months, and more than 4000 km’s, later she was recovered on an island near Darwin. Aub Strydom found a […]

Harnessing Big Data to Support Mangrove Conservation and Rehabilitation

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On May 27, 2020

By Dr Michael Sievers and Dr Christina Buelow, Global Wetlands Project We are entering a remarkable era of both technological advancement and open data access, stimulating global scale analyses on mangrove ecosystems. Mangrove trees and roots provide critical habitat for wildlife and benefits to humans. Photo credit: Tom Rayner Mangrove forests occur throughout […]

Mangroves taking eons to recover from oil spill

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On May 20, 2020

By Professor Rod Connolly On a dark and stormy night in 1992 a major oil slick polluted a pristine mangrove forest. The oil came from a shipping mishap at the hydrocarbon facility at Port Bonython in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It’s a significant wilderness area, home to flocks of imperious pelicans, endemic seadragons, and the […]

Mangroves, oasis of the desert

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On May 19, 2020

By Dr. Fernanda Adame and Dr. Mischa Turschwell If you ever fly over a subtropical coast, where the desert meets the ocean, you will notice a stripe of bright green bordering the edges of meandering creeks. The greenery contrasts with the orange, yellow, and red of the surrounding desert. In this seemingly inhospitable landscape, where […]

How can we best assess the threats and status of connected coastal wetland habitats?

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On May 14, 2020

By Dr Michael Sievers Habitat degradation is a global crisis. Quantifying and evaluating habitat change and its impacts on ecosystem function is needed to inform management and conservation that ultimately safeguards biodiversity and human benefits. Many of these benefits in coastal ecosystems depend not only on habitat status, but also its connections with other […]

Global fragmentation of mangrove forests

Posted by Chris Brown
On May 4, 2020

To inform conservation actions we need global indicators of wetland ecosystems that represent changes in ecosystem function. But current indicators are largely based on changes in the area of wetland ecosystems. In our new study we mapped fragmentation of mangrove habitats at a global scale. The fragmentation of habitats into patches may be a better […]

Marine conservation implications and opportunities for China’s Belt and Road Initiative – the world’s largest ever infrastructure project

Posted by Chris Brown
On January 9, 2020

China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or the ‘New Silk Road’, is the world’s largest infrastructure development project, aimed at linking Europe and East Africa with Asia. The initiative combines a large network of terrestrial and maritime routes with the intent of linking over 70 countries, at an estimated cost of US$8 trillion by 2049. The […]

Coastal science gathers for #CERF2019

Posted by Tom Rayner
On November 4, 2019

This week 1,700+ coastal scientists are gathering for CERF 2019 in Alabama. The 25th biennial conference of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation aims to help the research and management community become more “responsive, relevant and ready” – to connect science and society in trouble-shooting and conserving coastal environments. The Global Wetlands Project will be […]