The ocean’s mammals are at a crucial crossroads, with some at risk of extinction and others showing signs of recovery, a new review by an international team of marine researchers has found.
The research team, led by the University of Exeter and including scientists from Griffith University and more than 30 other institutions in 13 countries, reviewed the status of the 126 marine mammal species finding that accidental capture by fisheries (bycatch), climate change and pollution are the key drivers of decline.
Associate Professor Susan Bengtson Nash, Centre of Planetary Health and Food Security
“Marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, dugongs, sea otters and a host of others, play essential ecological roles in aquatic ecosystems,” said Associate Professor Susan Bengtson Nash from the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security.
“They are key to community structure and function and can be indicators of ecosystem health.
“To continue the successful recovery of some marine mammal species and reverse the downward trajectories of others at-risk, we evaluated the threats they face and the conservation mechanisms available to address them, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), bycatch reduction methods and community engagement.”
A quarter of these species are now at risk of extinction being classified as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, with the near-extinct vaquita porpoise and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale among those in greatest danger.
“We have reached a critical point in terms of marine mammal conservation,” said lead author Dr Sarah Nelms, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter.
“Very few marine mammal species have been driven to extinction in modern times, but human activities are putting many of them under increasing pressure.”
The researchers say 21% of marine mammal species are listed as “data deficient” in the IUCN Red List — meaning not enough is known to assess their conservation status.
This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to identify which species are in need of protection and what actions should be taken to save them.
“Chemical pollution and the associated toxic effects is one area that remains particularly poorly understood,” Associate Professor Bengtson Nash said.
“The diversity and amount of chemicals present in the natural environment cause both planetary health and direct toxicological impacts to marine mammals.
“The presence of chemicals can alter food webs and prey availability for marine mammals, and can directly affect the animal’s health by various mechanisms including suppression of the immune system or interference with normal endocrine (hormonal) function.”
In addition to building an understanding of the threats ocean mammals face, this research helps reverse the downward trend in at-risk species by identifying knowledge gaps in marine mammal research and highlighting research and conservation priorities in urgent need of focus.
The demand for Kids Helpline saw a significant increase in the volume of children and young people seeking help in 2020 compared to 2019, with mental health or emotional wellbeing the most common issues for children and young people according to a new study.
Researchers from the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) at Griffith University, youth organisation yourtown and the University of Melbourne analysed monthly and weekly time trends of demand for and response by Kids Helpline, Australia’s only national youth helpline.
They found an increase when the pandemic was declared in March 2020 followed by a gradual decline. A second rise occurred in July 2020 when parts of Australia experienced a second wave of infections, followed by another decline more recently.
Associate Professor Kairi Kolves from AISRAP said changes in demand for Kids Helpline aligned with changes in the severity of the pandemic.
“It is likely that this pattern reflects a combination of negative emotional and psychological effects of the pandemic on some children and young people, and difficulty accessing friends and face-to-face services due to movement restrictions and social distancing requirements.
“Whether emotional and psychological effects of the pandemic will be short-lived or whether they will contribute to development or exacerbation of mental disorders is unknown.”
Increased demand was almost entirely via WebChat rather than phone. Most answered counselling contacts were from females and those aged 13-18 years. The number of contacts about mental health, suicide/self-harm, and family relationships increased, with mental health contacts also increasing as a proportion of total contacts. A significant number of young people’s mental health and other concerns were related to COVID-19.
yourtown CEO Tracy Adams noted that information about the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of children and young people remains limited, with most studies of countries with far higher infection rates than Australia.
“The study found, while less exposed to the trauma of mass illness and fatalities than their international counterparts, children and young people in Australia may also experience concern about themselves or vulnerable family members contracting the virus and pandemic restrictions affected almost every aspect of their daily lives,’’ she said.
“The pandemic has likely had particular effects on children and young people with existing mental disorders or other special needs.”
Ms Adams said Kids Helpline provided a critical service for children and young people, especially during times of limited access to face-to-face services and natural supports such as school and peers.
“Kids Helpline remained functional every day of 2020, answering more than 176,000 contacts from children and young people aged 5-25, while doubling its professional counsellor workforce by an extra 100 counsellors.”
The research has been published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
A class of metal-based anti-viral compounds can shield human cells from viruses and may also trap them to prevent viral spread, new Griffith University research has found.
Published in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) journal, ChemComm, the Institute for Glycomics researchers identified that the metal-based compounds protect cells from viruses causing hand, foot and mouth disease (enterovirus 71) and metapneumovirus respiratory infection (human metapneumovirus, hMPV).
Using a variety of methods including NMR spectroscopy, virology and computational modelling, they discovered that the platinum-based complex (PPC) TriplatinNC binds in a specific manner to the large sugar biomolecule Heparan Sulfate (HS), found on the surface of cells and acts as a shield from viruses.
“This is a very exciting discovery,” said lead researcher Dr Benjamin Bailly. “For the first time we provide a detailed description of how these compounds work to block infection. Not only do they act as a protective shield at the host cell surface, we found that they may also trap viruses to prevent them from further propagating in the host.
“We knew that PPCs interact with the HS receptor and that these viruses recognise HS, so we wanted to investigate if they would protect the host cells from being infected.”
Dr Bailly said many viruses utilise HS as a binding receptor for cellular entry including EV71 which causes hand, foot and mouth disease in children and hMPV which causes pneumonia in infants and the elderly.
“These are very different diseases, but the common link is the way the PPCs and viruses recognise the HS receptor on host cell surfaces.
Director of the Institute and senior author, Professor Mark von Itzstein AO said the study “is an exciting proof-of-concept that our metalloglycomics approach provides new direction in antiviral drug discovery”.
“The shielding effect of TriplatinNC on EV71 and hMPV shows the potential of metal-based compounds as broad-spectrum anti-virals which are expected to be active on other HS-binding viruses.
“We now have a new framework in hand to develop compounds with improved safety and strong antiviral properties, so they can be used against a broad spectrum of viral diseases” he said.
The research has been published in RSC ChemComm.
More than a quarter of Australia’s federal electoral divisions show signs of extreme or high exposure to the negative effects from the withdrawal of COVID-19 stimulus measures according to new Griffith University research.
Professor Scott Baum
Professor Scott Baum from Cities Research Instituteand Professor William Mitchell from University of Newcastle have mapped the economic vulnerability of all 151 Australian House of Representative seats due to the withdrawal of Jobkeeper and cuts to the Jobseeker payment drawn from Department of Social Services and The Treasury data.
The Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland are the top three states with the most seats in the extreme exposure category. Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales are next, topping the high exposure category.
Professor Baum says the withdrawal of the Australian government’s dual COVID-19 economic support measures will have a range of potential impacts on people and their communities.
“For those on Jobseeker payments, they will now contend with $150 per fortnight less, pushing them to live on income well below the poverty line. For businesses this could potentially push many to the brink resulting in closures and more layoffs.”
The index uses three key indicators to analyse the risk these seats face by accounting for the number of people on Jobseeker, the number of businesses on Jobkeeper and the change in the number of businesses from 2019 to 2020.
Pre-existing economic prosperity and pandemic responses
Professor Baum said pre-COVID levels of economic prosperity and the impact of different state level pandemic responses were important factors affecting electorates.
“The disruption to international travel and the decline in domestic travellers is one example where seats with a strong tourism sector have higher concentrations of workers and businesses on COVID-19 stimulus payments. These places now have greater exposure to the wind down of support.”
He warns the combined impact of these changes on local communities and the economy will likely lead to more disadvantage and less economic activity which could ripple out beyond those initially affected.
“Based on these findings the Australian Government should immediately reverse its premature withdrawal of COVID-19 economic support. Our economy is fragile and now is not the time for austerity.”
He said there is also an element of bipartisan risk for politicians because voters left behind in the pandemic could become disgruntled and usher in fringe parties.
“For the sake of our social and economic stability and resilience, economic policy decisions should be made with the lives of the entire Australian community in mind.”
The COVID-19 Economic Support and Withdrawal Exposure is available online.
Medications used to treat dry eye, cystic fibrosis and a medical dye may guide future strategies for treatment of COVID-19 according to new Griffith University research published in mBio.
Co-led by Professor Michael Jennings and Associate Professor Thomas Haselhorst at the Institute for Glycomics, the researchers used a combination of computer-based and biophysical methods to search for drugs that block the binding of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) to cells. These drugs work by interacting with either the virus surface protein spike, or its cell receptor ACE2.
Dr Christopher Day
“As well as vaccines, potent drugs to treat COVID-19 are urgently needed,’’ said researcher Dr Christopher Day.
“Due to time and the cost of developing new drugs, our researchers have been pursuing drug repurposing — using drugs that have already been approved for other therapeutic purposes.”
The researchers identified and tested several drugs in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 infection, using a well-established cell model.
“Three of them – Evans blue (medical dye), sodium lifitegrast (dry eye) and lumacaftor (cystic fibrosis) – were found to block virus infection of cells in culture and therefore may be further evaluated for repurposing as therapeutics or to guide the development of new drugs,’’ said co-author Dr Benjamin Bailly.
Dr Benjamin Bailly
Work is about to commence to test the effectiveness of these drugs in advanced, ex vivo human respiratory cell models, facilitated by the Australian-German Fraunhofer International Consortium for Anti-Infective Research (iCAIR®) initiative.
“All identified drugs in this study have potential to provide blueprints for the development of new antiviral compounds for the treatment of COVID-19,’’ Dr Day said.
“The promising outcome of this research is thanks to significant funding received from the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast. Each provided $100,000 to the Australian node of iCAIR®’s COVID-19 project to develop treatments against SARS-CoV-2,” said co-author and Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO.
This post has been contributed by Lachlan Robb, former Honours student at Griffith Law School (now PhD Candidate at QUT Law School), Professor Charles Lawson, Professor of Law at Griffith Law School and Law Futures Centre (LFC) member, Professor Catherine Pickering, Professor of Environmental Science at Griffith School of Environment and Dr Edwin Bikundo, Senior Lecturer at Griffith Law School and LFC member.
The Buribunks (Carl Schmitt (2019) ‘The Buribunks: An Essay on the Philosophy of History’ (translated by Laura Petersen and Gert Reifarth) 28 Griffith Law Review 99) lived for their diary and through their diary.
In this analysis we take Schmitt’s satirical parody of academic production and recognition seriously and at face value in order to apply it to Schmitt himself even though — or precisely because — it would presumably be anathema to him.
What would Schmitt, as he lives on in the intellectual archive of the West, look like to a Buribunk?
As a focus we examine scholarly publications stimulated by and generated in the ‘The War on Terror’ epoch, defined as following the 11 September 2001 terror attacks in the United States which cited Schmitt’s work. In this analysis we approach this body of scholarship as a serious, diligent Buribunk would by systematically identifying how Schmitt’s work has been used in the literature.
We then apply a mixed-methods approach combining a quantitative analysis with a qualitative account of the details of the discourse, including non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations as vectors and tree diagrams and the text analyser Leximancer to visualise the relationship between themes and concepts.
The outcome of applying these methods is to reveal patterns and associations in the uptake of Schmitt’s works (complete with tables, figures and diagrams).
The following figures display relationships and patterns which our analysis revealed in the 67 articles based on similarity in their content.
Vectors display increasing importance of specific types of content, with clusters of vectors close together reflecting clusters of articles with similar content.
Figure A describes the main Schmitt concepts addressed in the articles. Figure B notes the other major theorist which the articles also cited with Schmitt in the 67 articles. Figure C identifies the Schmitt texts (other than the Buribunks) co-cited in the articles.
Our primary conclusion is that Schmitt is no Ferker, dominating the archive, rather his impact is fragmented, spread across disciplines and presented in heterogeneous company.
This post has been contributed by Associate Professor Kate Galloway, member of the Law Futures Centre and Dr Dani Larkin (Bundjalung), Director of the Indigenous Law Centre at University of New South Wales.
The recently released Interim Report of the Parliamentary Committee inquiring into the destruction of the Juukan Gorge Caves, Never Again, makes several recommendations for improvements to the existing patchwork of cultural heritage laws that failed so badly.
The Report contains heart breaking testimony from Traditional Owners.
Their evidence is vital, given the centrality of First Nations people to the question of Indigenous cultural heritage.
In addition to shedding light on the import of the caves’ destruction and cultural heritage more broadly, the Inquiry reveals something about the ad hoc nature of First Nations’ standing before Parliament as experts in their own affairs and those affairs affecting Indigenous communities.
In the case of the Juukan Gorge, it took two exceptional circumstances for the testimony to be made public.
First, the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia had to instigate an inquiry into the matter.
Secondly, the Inquiry had to encourage Traditional Owners to make a submission, before the Parliament would learn of their experiences and the experiences of First Nations people more generally, in the face of inadequate cultural heritage laws.
To be sure, parliamentary inquiries are part of the institutional framework of governance.
Their remit and interest, however, is dependent upon the dynamics of Parliament itself, and of the members comprising each committee.
They do provide an avenue for Parliament to comprehend the experiences of anyone who cares to make a submission, but there are inherent limitations to the system.
Parliamentary inquiries such as this are generally open to public comment.
That means that members of the public who are interested in a matter can make a submission.
Certainly, in this case, the Committee took evidence from several Traditional Owners as well as members of the broader community.
However, even in matters of direct interest to First Nations people, given that a Parliamentary inquiry is a governmental process First Nations people may feel disconnected or mistrustful, reducing the likelihood that they will engage.
Such hesitance highlights that Anglo-Australian institutions are not established to cater for cultural norms outside their own.
Their cultural foundations tend to render them indirectly (and sometimes directly) exclusionary in terms of what experiences are fed back to Parliament.
Therefore, while a committee might seek input from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander individuals who have relevant testimony to offer, this avoids the structural issues with institutions of government.
It is ad hoc, relying instead on a committee inquiring into issues of concern to Indigenous communities and then seeking out such input.
To avoid the ad hoc nature of the remit of Parliamentary committees, and the limits inherent in Parliament itself, we need to rethink our governmental institutions.
To maximise the effectiveness of laws and policy concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we need a respectful institutional framework for listening to and heeding the voices of grassroots First Nations people.
A First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution is one way to provide a solid foundation from which Parliament and its committees might access grassroots Indigenous voices.
A First Nations Voice to Parliament is designed to provide cultural representation through formalised consultative processes to Australian legislative and executive institutions to enhance the engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Australian governance.
Given the right institutional structure, and protected through Constitutional enshrinement, a First Nations Voice would establish a trusted mechanism for otherwise exclusionary institutions to engage with grassroots voices.
Following a year of Dialogues throughout Australia conducted with First Nations people, the Uluru Statement from the Heart has recommended a First Nations Voice to Parliament, Treaty with First Nations, and Truth-telling as essential components for establishing proper legal relations between the Australian State and First Nations peoples.
For clarity, and following the recommendations of the Uluru Statement, we do not suggest that a First Nations Voice would be implemented without Treaty.
Voice and Treaty are complementary institutions and, along with Truth, Treaty is vital to our collective future.
However, a First Nations Voice provides the first step: a means of structural reform to embed cultural representation more broadly in Australian law-making institutions which in turn creates legislative Treaty and Truth-Telling frameworks.
In addition, and relevant to issues such as Indigenous cultural heritage that have arisen in the case of the destruction of the Juukan Gorge Caves, a First Nations Voice to Parliament would establish an institutional means of keeping Parliament informed about the effectiveness of law and policy and their impact on Indigenous people and communities.
To avoid the political fate of its now-defunct predecessor organisations such as ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission), it is not enough to have a ‘Voice to Parliament’ enacted in legislation alone–such as that currently proposed by the Government.
Voice must instead be constitutionally enshrined.
This would give the entire Australian community the opportunity to support the institution, through a referendum.
It will lend it legitimacy and thus authority in the eyes of the people. Importantly, however, constitutional enshrinement whilst protecting the Voice, will uphold the undiluted power of existing Parliamentary and constitutional structures.
Sixathletesassociated withGriffith have been selected in theUnder 23 (U23),Under 21 (U21)and Under 19 (U19)Australian Rowing Teams to compete at the World Rowing Cup 3 Simulation Regatta in Juneatthe 2000 Sydney Olympics rowing venuein Penrith.
The crews were determined after rowersparticipated in trialsat Lake Barrington, Tasmania, following the 2021 Aon Australian Rowing Championships.
Danica Free after competing in Tasmania
Five currentGriffithstudentsgot the nod, withCormac Kennedy-Leverett(Bachelor of Engineering Hons)selected in the U23 Men’s single scull, Danica Free(Bachelor of Engineering Hons)making the U21 women’s quad scull, Lachlan Wright(Bachelor of Business)selected for the U19 men’s coxless four, Miller Rowe(Bachelor of Business)in the U23 men’s coxed eight and Anna Blackwell(Bachelor of Exercise Science)the U21 women’s coxed eight.
Lachlan Wright and Mackenzie Branch after winning Gold in the U19 Mens Pair in Tasmania. Image Copyright RA Linda Higginson
Mackenzie Branch, who trains withGriffith UniversitySurfers ParadiseRowingClub,was alsoselectedin theU19 men’s coxless four.
The simulation regattais the last of the season,a final chance for junior athletes to post their best performances.
Itwill also feature Australia’s Senior Australian Rowing Team crews, as they prepare for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Recent Griffith graduateMolly Goodman(Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice), whoisbased at theWomen’sNationalTraining Centre in Penrith,hasa nervous wait to confirmherlikely Olympic spot, withselectors to announce the teamin June.
Unfortunately, talented fellow graduateGeorgina Gotch (Bachelor of Business)has suffered a back injury, ruling her out of contention.
Ahead of the official Olympic team announcement,Director Sports Engagement at Griffith,Duncan FreeOAMandHead Rowing Coach at Griffith Sports College,Lincoln Handley,havealreadybeen named as Australian coaches.
Duncan Free OAM
Olympic GoldMedalist(Rowing)Freewill coach theU19 mens coxless four.
“I’ve representedAustraliaa number of times,but this is the first time officially as a coach so it’s going to be a new experience for me, sittingon the other side of the fenceand I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“It’s a bit of astrange feeling because when you push your crew off the bank and they row up to the start line youalmostfeel a little bit useless because there’s nothing more you can do.
“Itis up to the athlete to perform at that point although you still get nervous for them.”
Free says being selectedfor the simulation regatta is an excellent training opportunity.
“I think it’s a great experience for our younger ones to compete against ourOlympic athletes,” he added.
“We are actually trying to get theNew Zealandrowers to come over as well, given the travel bubble opening up.
“It would be wonderful if theNZrowing team, whether it be theOlympic or the under aged teams, could join us becausetheyare quite strong in rowing and have been for the last couple ofOlympic cycles.
“Ialsothink given the circumstance of not being able to go and race overseas(due to Covid)it would be a wonderful experience.”
“The regatta will provide our pathway teams the chance to compete against our top elite crews as they prepare to take on the world in Tokyo,” Rowing Australia Deputy Performance Director, Jaime Fernandez, said.
Griffith University Surfers Paradise Rowing Club coach Lincoln Handley
Lincoln Handleyagrees the simulation regatta will be a wonderful opportunity for Griffith’syoungathletes.
“It’s a great result for the club, the program, and the dedication of our volunteer coaches,” he said.
“The success of the club at the recent national championships reflects the supportive and collegiate culture we have been working so hard on.
“In lots of ways the challenges of 2020 enabled us to better prepare our athletes with more flexible university and work schedules. They were able to train harder and longer which has been reflected in this year’s team selection.
“If we can continue to enable a study / training / life balance for this group, we could see some great results down the track from these talented athletes.”
Handley’s AustralianParalympicrowershave onelastevent beforeOlympicselections are announced.
“The Para athletes I have worked with train exceptionally hard for the challenges they face,” he added.
“They are a refreshing group to work with as they push their own boundaries at every opportunity and keep things very much in perspective for me. All athletes challenge my thinking in someway,but the para group have me out of the box a lot.”
The Universityhasenjoyed anaming rights partnership with Griffith University Surfers Paradise Rowing Club for around 15 years.
Current Griffith students selected for the Simulation Regatta Cormac Kennedy-Leverett, Danica Free and Lachlan Wright arealsomembers of the club.Bond University student Mackenzie Branch trains alongside them at the club.
“This a is keypartnershipfor Griffith whichprovides a supportivepathway for school rowers that wish to continue to compete and develop in the sport,” Duncan Free said.
Griffith Sports College currently supportsmore than600 athletes juggling what can be a challenging combination of study and elite sport commitments.
Griffith student Jenna Robertson is producing an opera about devastating bushfires that ripped through the Gold Coast hinterland in 2019.
The Doctor of Musical Arts candidate was evacuated from her home at Lower Beechmont and came close to losing everything in the blaze — a traumatic experience she is now exploring through music.
Written for solo soprano, chamber orchestra and chorus, Spirit Orphan was inspired by Jenna’s night alone in an evacuation centre after the fire.
“I’m an artist, an opera singer and performance maker and I make works that help us make sense of the world, something that is needed now, more than ever,” she said.
“My home in Lower Beechmont remains, thanks to our incredible firefighters, and the memories of the fires and evacuations are still fresh.
“I allowed all of those emotions to flow into this project.”
The stories of residents of Beechmont and Lower Beechmont, who shared their memories of the fires with Jenna, will be woven into the opera.
“Before the pandemic, I was often away travelling for work and I didn’t know anybody on the mountain,” she said.
“Talking with community helped me to make new friends, find meaning in our shared experience and inspired this new opera, which is all about belonging and healing.”
The creative collaboration involves Griffith University students and alumni, including creative writing doctoral candidate Alexandra Dunn, who is helping write the libretto, and film alumnus Salvador Cantellano, who is documenting the project.
“There are so many Griffith connections, it’s wonderful to be able to tap into that network of creatives,” she said.
The Scottish-Australian soprano has performed across Australia and has just embarked on her doctorate at the Queensland Conservatorium.
Jenna’s PhD will explore the creation of new, experimental work and Spirit Orphan will inform the research.
“Making a new opera is like building a house – it can take years,” she said.
“It’s a big project, but I have a life-long passion for music that keeps me going.
“This is my way of contributing to the evolution of opera.”
An excerpt from the production will be debuted to audiences as part of the Brisbane Musical Festival later this month, and a short film about the project will debut at the Gold Coast Film Festival on 17 April.
Spirit Orphan is being produced with the support of Opera Queensland, HOTA, World Science Festival Brisbane, Queensland Music Festival, Brisbane Music Festival and the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund.
The economic value of mangroves is being highlighted with new researchand anappthat projects carbon emissionsglobally.
In a first, the researchers compiledglobal data sets to projectbaselineglobal carbon emissions from different drivers of mangrove loss.
The team, led by Griffith University, focused on the five key drivers of carbon emissions from mangrove loss: clearing of the coast;urbanisation; aquaculture and agriculture; erosion; and extreme climatic events.
The results indicatedthe regions in need of policy actions to address emissions arising from mangrove loss and the drivers that could be managed to prevent them.
The Mangrove Carbon appallows users to explore the contribution of mangrove protection to mitigating carbon emissions.
Dr Chris Brown and Dr Fernanda Adame from Griffith’s Australian Rivers Institute and the Global Wetlands Project said the environmental and economic benefits of mangrove forests around the world should no longer go unnoticed.
“Mangroves accumulate three to 10 times more carbon than most ecosystems on the planet,” Dr Brown said.
Dr Fernanda Adame.
“Our projections help nations value mangrove conservation, identify what actions are needed to reduce emissions and set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“For example, if mangroves are beingclearedfor aquaculturecreating1 million tons of CO2 every year, thiswould be the baseline amount of carbon emissions.If we manage aquaculture so that instead of deforesting new mangroves we fixedabandoned aquaculture ponds, wewouldavoid the emission of 10 million tons in the next 10 years.
“This project allows nations to value mangroves, predict potential carbon emission from mangrove loss and place a value on these to help meet targets set under the Paris Climate Agreement.”
The research, published inGlobal Change Biology, highlighted that Australia was doing relatively well compared with other regions of the world, but extreme climate events were a major cause of emissions.
Dr Chris Brown.
Overseas, emissions from mangrove loss were concentrated in five regions of the world,southeast and south Asia due to agriculture and aquaculture, and the Caribbean, west Myanmar and North Brazil due to erosion and clearing.
“We compiled the latest global data sets, and we not only estimated how much carbon there is in these places but how much carbon we would lose if we continued to destroy or degrade the forest,” Dr Adame said.
“There are many drivers of mangrovedeforestationand this has been mapped globally. What we know is that there are some related to climate – like erosion and tropical storms – and there are some that are directly related to human activity – likeurbanisationand aquaculture.
“One of the most important topicsat the momentis climate sequestration, not for only climate change but for the first time in history we are seeing a value of mangroves that can be marketable.
“Sothis is quite novel in that we are starting to incorporate the value of blue carbon in the economy, and this research will help get this market moving.”
The research‘Future carbon emissions from mangrove forest loss’has been published inGlobal Change Biology.
