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Issue: Species, habitats and ecological communities - Condition of marine biodiversity: Condition of species, habitat and ecological communities

This is an issue under the Biodiversity theme of the Data Reporting System.

Why we need to know about this issue

The health of the ocean’s biodiversity is a critical aspect of the health of biodiversity more broadly. Marine biota is also important to both water quality and to the ocean’s capacity to regulate the global climate. Conversely, physical marine conditions such as water quality, salinity, acidity and temperature are essential to the well-being of marine life.

Species and ecological communities are crucial aspects of marine biodiversity. The health of species and ecological communities determines the overall capacity of the ocean’s biodiversity to maintain the health of the oceans.

Indicators

• CO-01 Trends in selected groups of coastal and marine species and habitats 
  In the absence of any way of assessing the overall condition of species, habitats and ecosystems across all Australian coastal land and coastal and marine waters, considering the condition of a selection of key species, groups of species, habitats and ecosystems is probably the closest we can come to an indicator for condition of marine biodiversity.
• CO-02 Number of marine species that are endangered or threatened and changes in population/ distribution of selected threatened species 
  Number of threatened species and communities, as represented by the number that have attained legal status as threatened or endangered species, is an ambiguous indicator for loss of marine biodiversity. However, trends in population and area distribution of selected threatened species may be broadly indicative of condition of marine biodiversity more generally.
• BD-02 Conservation status of nationally significant species and ecological communities, compared with previous years 
  Conservation status of species may be broadly indicative of changes in the condition of marine biodiversity.
• BD-04 Listed threatened species or ecological communities for which recovery action is showing stable or increasing populations 
  Although recovery of species following recovery action is not likely to be indicative of changes in the condition of marine biodiversity more generally, these are the only species whose status is routinely monitored.
• AAT-08 Plankton populations 
  Plankton are an important part of the food web and therefore monitoring the number and composition of plankton is vital to understanding the condition of marine biodiversity not just in the AAT but throughout the world’s oceans.
• AAT-09 Seabird populations 
  Seabird populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of the condition of marine biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.
• AAT-10 seal populations 
  Seal populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of the condition of biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.
• AAT-11 Whale populations 
  Whale populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (whaling, fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of the condition of biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.
• AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island 
  Understanding the coverage and type of vegetation on the non ice area of Heard Island provides insight into the extent of glacial retreat as a result of climate change which may have implications for changes in the condition of biodiversity on the Australian mainland.

Related issues

• Coasts and Oceans - Condition of the ocean and coastal waters - Condition of species, habitats and ecosystems 
• Coasts and Oceans - Contributions and pressures between the coasts and oceans and inland water - Condition of species at the inland waters-oceans interface 
• Coasts and Oceans - Contributions and pressures between the coasts and oceans and land - Condition of species at the land-ocean interface 
• Biodiversity - Species, habitats and ecological communities - Genetic diversity 
• Biodiversity - Species, habitats and ecological communities - Conservation status of species and ecological communities