january 2025
Welcome to the January 2025 Newsletter. Packed with exciting updates, inspiring stories, and opportunities to get involved, this edition has something for everyone passionate about the Great Southern Reef.
Coming Soon: White Rock Doco
We’re thrilled to announce that White Rock is officially completed! This powerful documentary presenting solutions to the longspined urchin crisis will soon be touring across the country as part of community events designed to spark conversation, inspire action, and deepen connections to our Great Southern Reef.
Stay tuned for updates on specific touring dates and times—more details are coming soon!
In the meantime, we’re gearing up for the next step: the White Rock Impact Campaign. This campaign will ensure the film's message reaches far and wide through:
Community screenings across Australia
Comprehensive educational resources for schools
Surveys and strategies to amplify community voices
Advocacy tools to influence political leaders
Inspiring Ocean Literacy with the GSRF in 2025
Join us next week on Wednesday 22nd of January for a free 30-minute professional development workshop designed to empower teachers and marine educators with fresh, engaging ways to incorporate the GSR into their 2025 classrooms and marine education programs.
Led by ocean literacy specialist Catia Freitas, this session will:
introduce our new schools kit, a student-led course centred on restoration efforts on the Great Southern Reef.
Showcase our revamped educator hub.
Provide a sneak peek into exciting upcoming initiatives in 2025 for GSRF education
Whether you teach science, geography, or environmental studies, this session offers engaging tools and ideas to inspire future ocean stewards. We encourage you to share this opportunity with colleagues and networks who are passionate about marine education.
Date: Wednesday, 22 January at 10:00 AM AEDT
Duration: 30 minutes, plus live Q&A. Registration link here.
This workshop and the revamp of the GSRF educator hub were made possible thanks to Australian Ethical Foundation.
Reef Monitoring Insights from Discovery Bay
A comprehensive monitoring program by Parks Victoria and Deakin University revealed vital insights into biodiversity, emerging threats, and conservation priorities for the Discovery Bay Marine National Park. Nestled in Victoria’s far west, the park spans 2,830 hectares of extraordinary marine habitats, from vibrant kelp forests to sponge and bryozoan-covered deep reefs.
The report highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and advanced tools like BRUVS and AUVs in understanding and protecting this unique ecosystem. Key findings include thriving Southern Rock Lobster populations in no-take zones, deeper reefs serving as biodiversity hotspots, and the resilience of protected habitats amid climate-driven changes.
Explore the footage, data, stories and solutions shaping the future of this remarkable marine park in our new article here.
Researcher Spotlight: Michael Sams
As a manager of marine and coastal science and programs at Parks Victoria, Michael Sams merges cutting-edge ecological research with hands-on strategic action, tackling complex challenges like climate change, invasive species, and kelp forest loss.
Michael is passionate about building a deeper connection between people and the reef’s extraordinary biodiversity. “The more people know about the reef and its importance, the more support there is for protecting it. Public awareness and engagement drive political momentum and help secure funding for long-term conservation efforts,” he explains.
He credits collaborations, like the Great Southern Reef Research Partnership, with bringing people together and amplifying the collective impact of their work.
In this new article, discover how Michael is using innovative tools like BRUVS and AUVs, fostering community collaboration, and leveraging decades of data to protect the Great Southern Reef and its unique ecosystems. [read more]
Spend a week as a marine biologist
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.
Science & Community Revitalising Tasmania’s Reefs
A $3.5 million federally funded project is bringing together science, industry, and community expertise to revitalise Tasmania’s reef ecosystems and restore giant kelp forests.
Using advanced techniques developed through years of experimental trials, the team is now scaling up giant kelp replanting. This involves growing kelp propagules in laboratories, out-planting them at selected sites, and managing critical reef stressors such as grazing sea urchins.
The cooperation between scientists, marine harvest industries, government and Aboriginal people will create capacity for local restoration initiatives and industries to bring back giant kelp forests. This large-scale effort aims to restore giant kelp forests at 10 critical sites along Tasmania’s east coast and bolster remaining patches.
Truwana Rangers
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.
Summer Marine Heatwave Response - Redmap
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.
Crayweed Comeback: A Decade of Restoration Success
Since 2012, Operation Crayweed has been working to restore crayweed forests along Sydney’s coastline, aiming to reverse its local disappearance.
Thanks to the partnership with Investa, Operation Crayweed has recently expanded restoration efforts to new sites, with inspiring results. In December 2024, surveys at the new restoration site in Dee Why revealed 466 crayweed recruits (‘craybies’). At Lurline Bay, first planted in late 2023 and ‘topped up’ in winter 2024, 416 recruits were recorded, up from just 10 last year. The tallest recruit there has already grown to 47 cm!
With more monitoring and crayweed top-ups planned for Dee Why and Lurline Bay and a few new sites starting in 2025, Operation Crayweed is committed to restoring these vital underwater habitats and ensuring their resilience for future generations.
Eat The Invaders
Curious about solving ecological problems with food? Check out the new ABC series Eat the Invaders which dives into Australia’s unique biodiversity challenges, focusing on turning ecological threats into culinary opportunities. This provocative series reimagines how food choices can spark conversations about our environmental future.
Make sure to catch Episode 6, where host Tony Armstrong explores the impact of longspined urchins on the GSR.
Up for a running challenge in 2025?
Ready to lace up your running shoes this year? The GSRF have partnered with Grassrootz, Australia's leading community event fundraising platform.
By signing up for an event and linking the GSRF as your charity of choice, you can help us fuel our initiatives, power our outreach, and make a tangible difference in the future of the GSR. If you have an upcoming event but we aren't yet linked get in touch, and we can make it happen.
more gsr news
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december 2024
This issue includes an exclusive look at our collaboration with artist Amok Island, spotlighting a spectacular limited edition print featuring iconic GSR species.
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november 2024
In this issue, we celebrate the long-awaited launch of WA’s South Coast Marine Park, share important updates on the South-east Marine Park Draft Management Plan, and dive into research exploring cancer-fighting compounds in temperate sponges.
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October 2024
In this issue, we celebrate the launch of our new Teacher’s Guide for Ocean Literacy, share major milestones from Project Restore, and highlight recent developments in kelp restoration across Australia.
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september 2024
This month, we're offering a sneak peek into one of the Great Southern Reef’s most unique environments - Bathurst Channel. Plus and an exciting opportunity for teachers to trial some new school resources.
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august 2024
Exciting updates from from the final days of filming our urchin documentary White Rock, to the latest research, sealion mounted camera footage and insights from our GSR Research Partnership meeting in Hobart.
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july 2024
This month we are thrilled to share with you Sea Country stories, spider crab science, monitoring updates plus a sneak peek of our new documentary White Rock.
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june 2024
In this month's issue and to celebrate the arrival of the Southern Right whales, we're thrilled to announce the release of our new film, Eye to Eye.
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may 2024
In this issue, we explore some urgent challenges facing the GSR as well as highlight promising developments and opportunities to get actively involved in caring for our precious kelp forests.
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The longspined sea urchin is native to New South Wales and eastern Victoria. But in 1978 the first animal was detected in Tasmania where it has since increased dramatically in numbers. The urchin arrived in Tasmania due to changes in ocean climate and ocean current conditions, specifically an increase in strength of the East Australian Current.
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White Rock is a 45-minute documentary uncovering an overlooked impact of the climate crisis: the explosion of longspined sea urchins which are devastating Australia's kelp forests. With stunning visuals and impactful storytelling, the film captures the urgent threat to these ecosystems and presents tangible solutions to save them.
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Looking to deepen your knowledge on the rich biodiversity found in Australia's temperate reefs? This space is designed for you.
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Australian researchers are working at the global forefront of marine habitat restoration, with projects underway in every state along the Great Southern Reef. Habitat restoration is a resource intensive exercise used as a last resort for areas where vital habitats have been lost or are in decline and natural recovery is not occurring. Currently there are active restoration projects on the GSR working to restore seaweeds, seagrasses, and oyster reefs.
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Every month, we feature a creator from around the Great Southern Reef (GSR), showcasing their unique connection, creative expression, and passion for this extraordinary marine ecosystem. Through photography, art, storytelling, and film, these creators highlight the reef’s beauty, biodiversity, and the critical challenges it faces.
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What is the Great Southern Reef? What is unique about it? and how is climate change affecting it? Find out answers to these questions and more in our FAQ page.
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Associate Professor Ling has been instrumental in discovering the complex factors contributing to the urchin problem, casting new light on how climate change, predatory interactions, and ecological balance play into the crisis.
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The Great Southern Reef Research Partnership is a collaboration between universities, management agencies, and NGOs from across Australia, is taking a whole-of-system approach to safeguard the critical functions, fisheries, and biodiversity of the Great Southern Reef.
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The Great Southern Reef Foundation has partnered with Fremantle-based multidisciplinary artist Amok Island to create a stunning limited edition print, Iconic Species of the Great Southern Reef. This artwork showcases 18 unique species found along this extraordinary marine ecosystem.
