Assessing national biodiversity trends for rocky and coral reefs through the integration of citizen science and scientific monitoring programs

• Published in: BioScience
• Main Authors: Stuart-Smith, Rick D., Edgar, Graham J., Barrett, Neville S., Bates, Amanda E., Baker, Susan C., Bax, Nicholas J., Becerro, Mikel, Berkhout, Just, Blanchard, Julia L., Brock, Daniel J., Clark, Graeme F, Cooper, Antonia T., Davis, Tom R., Day, Paul B., Duffy, J. Emmett, Holmes, Thomas H., Howe, Steffan A., Jordan, Alan, Kininmonth, Stuart J., Knott, Nathan A., Lefcheck, Jonathan S., Ling, Scott D., Parr, Amanda, Strain, Elisabeth M. A., Sweatman, Hugh, Thomson, Russell J.
• Other Authors: Australian Research Council, Ian Potter Foundation
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2017
• Subjects: Marine Trophic Index; Community temperature index; Ecological indicator; State of the environment; Convention on biological diversity; Antarctic; Antarc*; Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/185246; https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw180; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000923; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001047

Reporting progress against targets for international biodiversity agreements is hindered by a shortage of suitable biodiversity data. We describe a cost-effective system involving Reef Life Survey citizen scientists in the systematic collection of quantitative data covering multiple phyla that can underpin numerous marine biodiversity indicators at high spatial and temporal resolution. We then summarize the findings of a continental- and decadal-scale State of the Environment assessment for rocky and coral reefs based on indicators of ecosystem state relating to fishing, ocean warming, and invasive species and describing the distribution of threatened species. Fishing impacts are widespread, whereas substantial warming-related change affected some regions between 2005 and 2015. Invasive species are concentrated near harbors in southeastern Australia, and the threatened-species index is highest for the Great Australian Bight and Tasman Sea. Our approach can be applied globally to improve reporting against biodiversity targets and enhance public and policymakers’ understanding of marine biodiversity trends. Development of RLS was supported by the former Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Program, whereas analyses were supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, and the Marine Biodiversity Hub, a collaborative partnership supported through the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Programme (NESP). Additional funding and support for field surveys were provided by grants from the Ian Potter Foundation, Parks Australia, CoastWest, the WA State NRM program, and the Royalties for Regions program. Peer Reviewed