National Environmental Research Program - Jul 2011 - Dec 2014

The Marine Biodiversity hub will provide scientific information and advice that will support the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in its decision making in the marine environment, specifically in implementing and monitoring marine bioregional plans, developing the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas, and supporting the information needs of the department in providing key baseline information. This will be accomplished through four tightly integrated national themes, which will allow the Marine Biodiversity Hub to provide consistent scientific data, information and advice to the Commonwealth, States and NT. New survey activity will be focused off Northern Australia (North to Coral Sea), in recognition of its global marine biodiversity significance, the rapidly increasing pressures facing this region and the paucity of current information.

See the current NERP Programs listed in the table below

Past CERF Program - 2007 to 2010
The Marine Biodiversity Research Hub was funded through the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Program (CERF), administered by the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The key aim of CERF was to provide sound advice to inform environmental public policy objectives and to better the management of Australia’s unique environment. The University of Tasmania was the Hub coordinator and signed the Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth in May 2007. The Hub continued until December 2010 and received funding of $6 million under the CERF Program. The Partners contributed $12million of their own funds to the initiative.

CERF collaborators included the University of Tasmania, CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Museum Victoria. The Hub analysed the patterns and dynamic of marine biodiversity to determine the appropriate units and models for effectively predicting Australia’s marine biodiversity. It developed and delivered the tools needed to manage Australia’s marine biodiversity.

Reports and outputs from the CERF program are still available by searching this website.

Read the CERF project overview

Evolutionary history and local environmental conditions predict the distribution of species and communities on land and this underpin landscape management. The Marine Biodiversity Hub’s aim is to provide a similar predictive capacity for Australia’s seascape. The Hub will build research capacity and collaboration between marine research agencies, and provide new tools to support the identification, assessment, conservation and sustainable use of Australia’s marine assets, including enhancing the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) and other ESD management applications. This will assist conservation agencies, resource management agencies, and users develop management approaches that provide comprehensive, adequate and representative conservation of Australia’s seascape. Hub outputs will help agencies and stakeholders meet the requirements of the NRSMPA, Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Commonwealth Fisheries Act, and various State Fisheries and Conservation Management legislation.