Comparative marine biodiversity survey of the Rowley Shoals, 1-17 Dec 2007: metadata report

Long, S., Armstrong, S., Fabricius, K., Field, I., Cook, K., Colquhoun, J. and Huisman, J.M. (2008) Comparative marine biodiversity survey of the Rowley Shoals, 1-17 Dec 2007: metadata report. Department of Conservation and Environment, Perth, Western Australia.

Abstract

The Rowley Shoals are comprised of three emergent reefs - Mermaid, Clerke and Imperieuse - located approximately 300 km west-northwest of Broome along the edge of the continental shelf. Due to their isolation and protection from most human impacts, the Rowley Shoals are likely to be amongst the most pristine coral reef environments remaining in the world (Bellwood et al. 2003; Gilmour et al. 2007). As coral reefs continue to degrade worldwide, careful management of the Rowley Shoals will be required to establish and maintain them as regional and potentially global benchmarks for coral reef biodiversity conservation.
However, successful management requires informed decision-making. Although all three shoals are managed by State or Commonwealth departments as marine protected areas, information about trends in marine biodiversity over time is essential for comparison and assessment of the effectiveness of the different management regimes in effect across the three shoals.

Item Type:	Report
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
Publisher:	Department of Conservation and Environment
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/15050

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