In the face of increased human pressures and climate change, a team of Australian scientists led by Dr Georgina Wood at Flinders University have launched a new online tool to assist marine managers and restoration experts in bolstering climate-resilient marine ecosystems.
The ‘Reef Adapt’ initiative, developed by experts from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD), Flinders University, and the University of Western Australia (UWA), aims to expand the tools available to promote diverse, adaptable, and climate-resilient marine ecosystems.
Reef Adapt harnesses genetic data from diverse marine species – including key reef-building corals and habitat-forming kelps, but with scope to expand to other taxa – to map out areas likely to harbour populations adapted to current and future environmental conditions.
The innovative web platform is designed to rapidly include genetic, biophysical, and environmental data in planning marine restoration and assisted conservation initiatives.
Identifying areas to restore marine ecosystems
The tool provides users with maps identifying areas with populations suited to their specific marine restoration sites under current and future climate scenarios.
The platform will initially house data for 27 species collected from 420 sample locations worldwide. Users will also be able to upload their own data to the site, further supporting the conservation of other species and areas.
While guidelines for terrestrial ecosystem restoration seed-sourcing exist, for example, the US National Seed Strategy and Australia’s Florabank, Reef Adapt is one of the first tools of its kind for marine ecosystems.
The project follows similar projects on land, such as Australia’s NSW Restore and Renew programme, to remove barriers to access to genetic data and improve restoration and assisted gene flow.
Intensifying global efforts to restore ecosystems
Dr Georgina Wood, an Australian Research Council Early Career Industry Fellow with Flinders University and Adjunct Research Fellow at UWA, says global efforts to restore ecosystems are intensifying.
Initiatives include the Convention on Biological Diversity’s recent adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to put 30% of degraded marine ecosystems under effective restoration by 2030.
“Alongside the increase in scale of marine restoration projects, there is a need to ensure that restoration practices keep up with the latest available science, including the use of cutting-edge genomic information to make informed decisions about where to source restoration stock material,” Dr Wood explained.
She added, “Our world is changing more rapidly than ever. Ideally, every restoration project would incorporate climate adaptation into their design, but the data needed for this are typically difficult to access.
“Reef Adapt puts this information directly into the hands of both managers and practitioners.”
Reef Adapt removes access barriers for effective restoration
The easy-to-use web platform hosts vital genetic information for government, not-for-profit and community organisations – removing barriers to access to vital information that the team hopes will improve both immediate and long-term marine restoration outcomes.
“The revolutionary new Reef Adapt tool will use cutting-edge genomic data and seascape analyses to help marine managers, restoration practitioners, and other stakeholders, including aquaculture, make informed decisions about where to source stock for restoration or aquaculture.
“It will also help select a climate-proof stock that will withstand future ocean conditions,” stated Dr Melinda Coleman, NSW DPIRD Senior Principal Research Scientist.
She concluded: “We hope that this web tool will be used broadly by marine and conservation managers, community groups, anyone embarking on marine restoration, and aquaculture proponents.”
