A project team that mapped 1500 square kilometres of coastline from the Abrolhos to Esperance has been awarded a 2009 WA Coastal Award for Excellence in Marine Science and Education.

Scientists from The University of Western Australia were part of the ambitious "Marine Futures" Project Team, which also included Fugro Survey Pty, the Department of Fisheries, the WA Museum and the South Coast Natural Resource Management Group.

The Securing WA's Marine Futures project is the most extensive quantitative dataset, benchmarking marine habitats and the organisms in Western Australia's south western and southern waters.

The project, which developed detailed maps of the seafloor between the Abrolhos Islands and Esperance, has significantly enhanced community knowledge and understanding of the Western Australian marine environment.

The project outcomes are being used by government authorities, regional natural resource management organisations, scientists, key user groups of the marine environment and the broader community.

The award recognised the large and ambitious spatial scale of the project and its visual impact in providing the broader community with an understanding of what lies beneath the surface.

Awards were given to individuals, community groups, organisations and local governments for their contribution to the protection and management of the WA coastal and marine environment.

Media references

Professor Jessica Meeuwig (Director, Centre for Marine Futures)  (+61 8)  6488 1464
Sally-Ann Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 7975  /  (+61 4) 20 790 098