On February 12, the Great Southern Reef Foundation will be heading to Parliament House in Canberra for the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of the Great Southern Reef event. 

The gathering will bring together politicians, scientists, and industry leaders to highlight the significance of the GSR and discuss urgent issues like the longspined urchin crisis. We’ll be showcasing a teaser of White Rock and contributing to discussions on sustainable solutions.

If you have key messages you’d like us to share with policymakers, we encourage you to get in touch.

The reef repair hub from IMAS continue monitoring remnant giant kelp forests across Tasmania, to better understand reference conditions for restoration efforts and to identify natural forests that could benefit from passive restoration efforts (e.g. urchin removal) to augment the resilience of these forests. 

Last week the team was in north eastern Tasmania diving some incredible reefs with healthy giant kelp populations and very healthy abundances of some of the GSR’s most iconic species such as weedy sea dragons, rock lobster, ornate cowfish and pencil urchins.

"It was incredible to see reefs in such terrific health in a region that has suffered devastating losses of kelp forests due to ocean warming and sea urchin overgrazing." explained Dr. Scott Bennett. 

These reefs offer an encouraging example of resilience and exciting lessons of how giant kelp forests can survive into the future in Tasmania.

Seagrass beds around Tayaritja (Bass Strait Islands in the Furneaux Group) are among the most extensive in south-eastern Australia, reaching depths of at least 25 metres. In collaboration with the Pakana Rangers, scientists from the University of Tasmania and Deakin University are mapping these seagrass beds within the proposed Tayaritja Milaythina Muka Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).

This work, supported by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program Marine and Coastal Hub, aims to understand habitat changes and support the Pakana community in seagrass conservation.

Through strategic planting and monitoring, Operation Crayweed has successfully re-established crayweed at numerous sites where it had disappeared.

Recent success at Maroubra marks a major milestone. Planted in winter 2024 and monitored in early February 2025, the site exceeded expectations—over 1,500 juvenile crayweed (craybies) were counted in a single dive, despite concerns about high herbivory. This resilience highlights the impact of careful management. The site will continue to be monitored and supplemented with new crayweed as water temperatures drop.

On Wednesday January 29th applications open for the 10th annual Practical Introduction to Temperate Marine Biology, on Maria Island, Tasmania.

This week-long intensive field course is run by the The University of Tasmania and hosts the top 24 year 11 and 12 students from around Australia, for a week-long unforgettable experience, learning what it is like to be a marine biologist. Students learn about the ecology and biodiversity of the Great Southern Reef, impacts of climate change and cutting edge science from leading scientists, including GSR Research Partnership scientists, Scott Bennett and Scott Ling.

If you are in year 11 or 12, are fascinated by the ocean and are considering a degree in Marine Science - then apply here.

Applications are open from January 29 - Feb 24. This years course runs from April 21 - 27, 2025. More information can be found here. 

The GSR Research Partnership continue their long term reef biodiversity monitoring, most recently in the Batemans Bay Marine Park in NSW.The team—comprising scientists from DPI and IMAS, including Nathan Knott, Antonia Cooper, and Scott Bennett—surveyed 30 reefs across the network, recording the abundances of fish, invertebrates, and seaweeds.

These surveys, now running for over 20 years, provide critical insights into ecological changes within the marine park, helping to track shifts in biodiversity, habitat health, and species distribution over time.

Batemans Bay is an important nursery area for grey nurse sharks and hosts large populations of wobegongs. At the same time, the region is heavily impacted by urchin barrens, making long-term monitoring essential to understanding the trajectories of these habitats and informing future conservation efforts.

The Truwana Rangers, established in 2015, are a dedicated group of Aboriginal Rangers operating on Truwana/Cape Barren Island in Tasmania. They work under the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania to manage and protect the island's natural and cultural resources.

Truwana Rangers Phillip Thomas and Shane Hughes have recently completed Open Water certification with Eaglehawk Dive as part of training to restore and manage giant kelp forests in Tasmania.

They both have a strong connection to the ocean around the waters of Truwana/ Cape Barren Island where they both live and work on Country. The entire Ranger Team is keen to participate either in the water or utilising their work vessel to support the success of the Giant Kelp Project. 

Want to learn more? contact the Truwana Rangers. 

Ocean temperatures along southern Australia are warming at more than twice the global average, with the region experiencing increasingly frequent and intense marine heatwaves since 2015. These heatwaves drive significant changes in marine ecosystems.

Detecting and understanding these shifts is critical but challenging given Australia’s vast coastline. Citizen science programs like Redmap, are instrumental in addressing this challenge by enabling the public to report sightings of marine species outside their typical ranges. These observations, particularly in light of events such as marine heatwaves, provide valuable data on species redistributions and early detection of emerging changes, which enables appropriate responses to be triggered given the severity of ecological change.

This summer we strongly encourage any Great Southern Reef fishers, boaters, divers or beachcombers to keep an eye out and Spot, Log and Map any out-of-range or uncommon species sightings to Redmap via the website or the Android/iOS app.

In 2024, the Kelp Forest Alliance launched its first-ever Kelp Photography Competition to celebrate and raise awareness of these vital underwater ecosystems. From over 350 submissions spanning 17 countries, 28 stunning finalist and winning images have been selected for a special exhibition at Waverley Library Galleries.

These awards celebrate these incredible ecosystems, the life they support, and the people who depend on them for their well-being. Find yourself lost amongst the golden swaying branches of the kelp and reimagine your relationship with the ocean. Just remember to tell your friends and take a peek under the water next time you get the chance.

If you're in Sydney, don’t miss the exhibition, on display at Waverly Public library from 10am-5pm daily until Feb 19th.