A plunge into the unknown
A far cry from tropical coral reefs, temperate marine research is challenging and unforgiving. With cold water, large swell and unpredictable conditions, the remote reefs of southern Australia are not for the faint-hearted.
Australia’s southern coast is remote and towns are often hundreds of kilometers apart. This rugged natural setting has allowed the only minimal human interference - but research investment and legislative protection has also been low. The result is that few appreciate the scale, interconnectedness and significance of Australia’s temperate reefs from an environmental, economic, or cultural perspective.
Unveiling Australia’s ‘other reef’
The Great Southern Reef project will educate, celebrate and advocate for one of Australia, and the world’s, most precious marine environments.
Phase 1 (completed): Educational resources delivered with National Geographic
Phase 2 (currently underway): Feature documentary showcasing the stories of the Great Southern Reef. Click here to learn more and support the project on the Documentary Australia Foundation website.
Phase 3: Impact campaign
Raising the public profile of this region
Phase one of the project has had a strong educational focus with the team producing a series of short films and complementary lesson plans for high school teachers featuring key characters across this region. The pride and passion locals have for Australia’s reefs and the ways they care for their coastal environment comes across strongly in the 80+ interviews conducted thus far.
Powerful stories of pride and passion
The fishers, scientists, surfers, divers, educators and artists who live among these reefs are the local stewards and custodians of their local environment. These are the individuals playing their part in a larger ecosystem — a concept that’s central to indigenous Australians’ culture, and has been for generations of harmonious living across land and sea country. These personalities are on the front line, experiencing first hand the substantial environmental changes that scientists have been raising the alarm about for decades.
Threats and Triumphs
For years oil giants have applied for permits to drill for oil in the pristine Great Australian Bight region, encouraged by governments. But each time, companies have been rebuffed by powerful community campaigns that prioritise protecting this pristine environment over profit. Most recently, oil giant Equinor pulled out of plans to drill in this area after facing overwhelming local and international pressure.
But, despite these wins, the Great Southern Reef still faces a huge existential threat. Climate change is rapidly warming our oceans and unless it is stopped, these biodiverse marine environments will disappear. Scientists warn that without action, dieback of kelp forests will have irreversible consequences for the biodiversity and fisheries of this region, severely impacting coastal economies. The giant kelp forests of Tasmania have been the first to be impacted by climate change and warming waters, with the decimation of previously vast seaweed forests to just 5% of what once were.
Fast Facts:
• The Great Southern Reef (GSR) fringes more than 8000 km of Australia’s temperate southern coast from Kalbarri, WA to Moreton Bay, QLD.
• 16 million Australians’ live within 50km of the GSR.
• The GSR supports Australia’s most valuable fisheries, world-renowned surf breaks, and unique coastal culture.
• The remote, exposed and isolated nature of these reefs has allowed the GSR only minimal human interference, but consequently research investment and legislative protection has also been low.
• Few Australians know what kelp forests look like, or appreciate the importance of the GSR from an environmental, economic, or cultural perspective.
A high impact film to educate, engage and inspire stewardship
The team’s goal is to harness the energy from the passionate Australians with a close connection to these reefs and tell their stories with an aim to raise awareness of what is at stake, and drive both recognition and action for the Great Southern Reef at a national and international level. By showcasing the spectacular beauty of these reefs with particular emphasis given to threatened and in-peril species there is hope that more people will have a stronger connection to their country, and become inspired to take a stronger sense of ownership of their local waters and take sustainable actions to promote the long-term management of these systems for generations to come.
Impact Goals
To increase public understanding of the broad value (social, economic, cultural) of Australia’s kelp forest ecosystems.
For the film to become a tool to support the work of organisations that are working to protect these ecosystems from the threats of development and climate change.
For Australians to understand, adopt and put into practice the indigenous concept of ‘caring for country’, acting sustainably and taking pride looking after their section of coastline to become stewards of their part of this larger system.
Raise the global profile of the Great Southern Reef and Australia’s pristine southern waters to benefit the reputation of the region for local and international tourism, regional culture, and cultural history.
About the film makers
Stefan Andrews
Stefan Andrews dedication to marine research and showcasing the underwater environments of southern Australia was recognised early in his career, being awarded the prestigious Rolex scholarship in 2013, aimed at fostering future leaders of the underwater world. Throughout this influential year and beyond, Stefan has worked alongside leading underwater videographers and film crews working to document oceanic research, including the Netflix hit documentary Chasing Coral, as well as teams behind BBC’s Blue Planet II.
Now internationally recognised for his underwater imagery and award winning short films, Andrews is passionate about education and is also a qualified high school teacher. He has several years of teaching experience and leads the development of educational materials associated with the Great Southern Reef project.
Kingsley Griffin
Dr. Kingsley Griffin is a marine ecologist and co-producer of documentary films directed by Andrews. Working a variety of jobs during university, Kingsley found the public generally unaware of key environmental issues, especially those already affecting the local oceans in southern Australia.
Griffin’s research focuses on the effective management of human impacts in marine environments, for which public awareness is often key. He believes that while scientists and advocates can achieve success through traditional means, strategic impact documentary can provide far more rapid progress towards community understanding and activation.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL
Scott Bennett
Dr. Scott Bennett was born and raised surfing and diving the reefs of Tasmania and has studied the kelp forest ecosystems of Australia in depth right across the country throughout his career as a marine scientist. Devoted to temperate marine research and the effect of ocean warming on temperate reef species, Bennett was recently awarded the highly prestigious Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher award. His upcoming research aims to enhance the capacity to detect vulnerable areas of the Great Southern Reef.
Thomas Wernberg
A/Prof Thomas Wernberg is a recent ARC Future Fellow at the School of Biological Sciences, based within the UWA’s Oceans Institute and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Wernberg’s research provides understanding of how coastal habitats might respond to stressors such as climate change, invasive species and eutrophication. He is an Editor-in-Chief for the journal Aquatic Botany and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Phycology.
Adriana Vergés
A/Prof. Adriana Vergés leads a research group within the Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation that focuses on marine ecology and conservation. Vergés’ research focuses on the ecological impacts of climate change and the conservation of the world’s seaweed forests and seagrass meadows, which are increasingly under threat. She is passionate in science communication and storytelling in all its forms and in 2019 was awarded the UNSW Emerging Thought Leader Prize for her creative and inspiring leadership in marine ecology.
Sahira Bell
Sahira Bell is the Doctoral Candidate and lead marine scientist responsible for the designation of Australia's Great Southern Reef as a Mission Blue ‘Hope Spot’. Her current research at the University of Western Australia focuses on the impacts of climate change and ocean warming on temperate ecosystems, specifically focusing on threats to seaweed forests and fish communities of the Great Southern Reef. Bell also sits on the management committee for the not-for-profit, the Balu Blue Foundation, where she works closely with scientists, communicators and producers to achieve impactful outcomes that drive positive change within the community.
Georgina Wood
Georgina Wood is a marine researcher with a drive to understand and promote seaweed forests, including their function as ecosystems, and how to design and evaluate success in conservation projects using genomics. She has had a strong involvement in Sydney’s seaweed restoration project ‘Operation Crayweed’, and has won awards for both her research and science communication. In 2019 Wood led the scientific team in an expedition with Greenpeace Australia Pacific to document the marine life of some of the most remote parts of the Great Southern Reef.
COMMUNICATION AND IMPACT
Hillarey Jones
Hillarey Jones is an independent curator, writer and digital media strategist with a passion to tell stories articulately, creatively and with a contemporary visual aesthetic. Jones has worked internationally for a decade in a number of contemporary art galleries and institutions. Her responsibilities have involved overseeing the website development and digital strategy for the inaugural exhibitions of a private contemporary art centre in the US working closely with design and pr firms in New York City. Currently based in Adelaide, Jones has been leading the Great Southern Reef branding, website and social channels since late 2019.