Representation does not necessarily reduce threats to biodiversity: Australia’s Commonwealth marine protected area system, 2012–2018

Recent revisions of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) have further biased protection of biodiversity away from commercially useful waters, thereby forgoing another opportunity for large-scale marine conservation. The NRSMPA includes State, Territory, and Commonwealth MPAs, with the latter component undergoing significant revisions from 2012, to 2015 and 2018 (Figure 1). Figure … Continue reading Representation does not necessarily reduce threats to biodiversity: Australia’s Commonwealth marine protected area system, 2012–2018

Implementation strategies for systematic conservation planning

The extent to which systematic conservation plans have effectively influenced management remains elusive, particularly regarding our understanding of the factors contributing to successful implementation. Several scholars have argued there is an important gap between planning and doing, sometimes even referring to it as the implementation crisis in conservation planning. Irrespective of the nature and size … Continue reading Implementation strategies for systematic conservation planning

New paper: Redefining community based on place attachment in a connected world

Who cares about the Great Barrier Reef? Many people, and according to a paper published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, some of the most passionately connected  individuals can come from far away places, across the globe. Effective environmental policy requires public participation in management, typically achieved through engaging community … Continue reading New paper: Redefining community based on place attachment in a connected world

Governance across the land-sea interface: Challenges & opportunities

In the context of increasing pressures on the land-sea interface, the role of governance is a potentially important, yet unfortunately an understudied consideration in our pursuit of sustainability. Existing governance can set the course for the fragmented decision-making that currently spawns many inappropriate uses of coastal areas and watersheds (e.g., land-clearing for agriculture without considering … Continue reading Governance across the land-sea interface: Challenges & opportunities

Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?

A recent article in The Conversation explores the possible impact for tourism on the Great Barrier Reef given the potential for listing of the Reef as World Heritage in Danger. Jon Day (PhD candidate in the ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies) outlines the impacts for tourism at three other famous World Heritage destinations - … Continue reading Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?

New paper: Factors influencing incidental representation of previously unknown conservation features in marine protected areas

Alana, Bob and Tom Bridge from the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies recently published an article in Conservation Biology examining how to plan for protection of unknown habitats and species in marine protected areas. Using the Great Barrier Reef as a case study, they show that biodiversity can be ‘incidentally’ represented in no-take … Continue reading New paper: Factors influencing incidental representation of previously unknown conservation features in marine protected areas

The Barrier Reef is not listed as in danger, but the threats remain

UNESCO and IUCN have just released a draft decision for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The decision proposes not to list the GBR “In danger” as many expected.  However, given the many threats that still face the GBR, this article suggests several aspects of the decision that need to be stronger to maintain the World Heritage values. Jon Day from the ARC Centre for Coral … Continue reading The Barrier Reef is not listed as in danger, but the threats remain