- the Marine Biodiversity Working Group

This is the second article on the national advisory groups that the Marine Biodiversity Hub works with to improve the management of marine biodiversity.

In the September newsletter, the Research and Development Working Group outlined their work on developing a national approach to marine indicators.

Here, the Marine Biodiversity Working Group describes their role in addressing Australia’s marine biodiversity decline.The report A National Approach to Addressing Marine Biodiversity Decline 2008 (Marine Biodiversity Decline Report) identified the challenges to effective management of marine biodiversity.  The Marine Biodiversity Decline Report stated “Conservation of the marine environment is a complex matter involving multiple jurisdictions and stakeholders across a range of marine industries.  Implementation of a national approach would require the cooperation and commitment of all relevant governments”. 

The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) endorsed the Biodiversity Decline Report, and the Marine and Coastal Committee (MACC) recommended that a Biodiversity Working Group (BWG) be formed to oversee MACC’s responses to marine biodiversity decline.  The BWG held its first meeting in June 2009 and is made up of 11 members, across all jurisdictions and CSIRO, with a range of marine ecological and natural resource management expertise.  The BWG is working collaboratively with the other MACC working groups, the Australian Fisheries Management Forum (AFMF), the Coastal Environment Working Group and the Research and Development Working Group (see article in our September 2009 newsletter). 

The objective of the BWG is to develop, progress and evaluate ecosystem based management in Australia, with a particular focus on implementing solutions and strategies to address marine biodiversity decline.  A priority action for the BWG is to establish steps for an Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) approach.  EBM is a management approach that recognises that maintaining the structure and function of ecosystems is vital and that human uses and ecosystem health are interdependent. EBM considers ecological, social and cultural objectives for an ecosystem. 

As fishing is often a significant use of marine ecosystems, development of ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) approaches have received particular attention.  MACC recognised that there have been some notable achievements and progress in EBM in Australia, particularly through Marine Bioregional Planning, EBFM and the Representative Areas Program for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.  However, there remains scope for improvement in integration of sectoral or smaller scale spatial management approaches across marine and coastal ecosystems. 

The Biodiversity Working Group is currently progressing work on ecosystem based management in the marine environment, investigating existing policies and strategies and working towards a national approach. 

For further information, please contact the MACC BWG Secretariat - Caitlin Barry (03) 9637 9872 or Caitlin.Barry@dse.vic.gov.au

More info:  

http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/publications/marine-diversity-decli...