CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
Past Seminars

Friday 26 September, 11.30am (Tas time)

CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart and via videoconference to Floreat and Cleveland

Vicki Nelson
Project Manager - Science
National Oceans Office

National bioregionalisation: where the KISS principle collapses

Australia's Oceans Policy commits the Australian Government to using an ecosystem-based approach to management of Australia's oceans through regional marine planning. Bioregionalisation defines a spatial framework for regional marine planning by identifying and mapping ecosystem-based units based on information about ecosystem structure, function and process. The current national bioregional planning framework is the Interim Marine and coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA), which was endorsed in 1998. Data used to define IMCRA bioregions cover only the coastal and shallow shelf regions of the Australian Marine Jurisdiction. Since 1998, data has become available for deeper shelf and offshore areas. In addition, different States used a range of approaches to collation and analysis of data to define bioregions. Therefore, the aim of the National Bioregionalisation is to update, extend and refine the current version of IMCRA to produce a comprehensive, integrated spatial framework for management of marine uses in the Australian Marine Jurisdiction.

The National Bioregionalisation will result in two, closely linked, outputs: a benthic regionalisation based on geomorphology, sedimentology, demersal fish and sponge biogeography; and a pelagic regionalisation based on biological and physical oceanography. The data inputs to these bioregionalisations are the basis of a number of projects managed by the National Oceans Office. The Office is currently working on a project to define how data inputs will be analysed to produce the two regionalisations. This work is guided by a conceptual framework with input from the bioregionalisation working group and other expert advice. The Office is also working towards a data management infrastructure that encourages the creation of fundamental marine datasets maintained in distributed, web-accessible databases. Data collated as part of the National Bioregionalisation will feed into this infrastructure.

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