Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3439
Title: Monitoring the sea change: Preliminary assessment of the conservation value of nearshore reefs, and existing impacts, in a high-growth, coastal region of subtropical eastern Australia
Contributor(s): Smith, Stephen D (author); Rule, Michael John  (author); Harrison, Matthew (author); Dalton, Steve James  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.11.016
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3439
Abstract: In northern NSW, Australia, coastal populations are forecast to increase dramatically over the next 25 years (the "sea change"). However, management of the effects of development on marine communities is hampered by the lack of data on key habitats. Consequently, we developed a protocol to assess the biodiversity and current human impacts on nearshore reefs, habitats that will be readily affected by coastal development. We assessed four reefs adjacent to each of three population centres targeting fish, mollusc and sessile benthic communities, and debris loads. Community structure was highly variable over all spatial scales indicating that reefs should not be considered equivalent within the planning framework. While, debris loads were relatively low on most reefs, those with highest conservation value also had the highest debris loads suggesting potential conflict between human use and long-term sustainability of reefal communities. Without intervention, this situation will be exacerbated in the future.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56(3), p. 525-534
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 1879-3363
0025-326X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960503 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
2 files
File Description SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

46
checked on Jul 20, 2024

Page view(s)

1,042
checked on Apr 2, 2023
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.