The SRFME Research Priority Framework

Research carried out through funding from SRFME will be done within a framework of priorities developed by the Western Australian government researchers and marine resource managers and academics. This framework was developed over a two-year period during the planning period leading up to SRFME becoming a reality.

The five framework areas are:

1. Broad scale oceanography - where the aim is to develop enhanced understanding of Indian Ocean oceanographic processes, which may lead benefits in greater understanding of:

• fisheries recruitment processes
• climate variability and rainfall prediction
• slope and deep ocean currents
• regional interconnectedness
• continental shelf circulation characteristics

2. Continental shelf and coastal processes - these studies should lead to an improved understanding of the marine ecosystem providing a number of benefits in relation to:

• sustainable management of areas of high productivity
• regional interconnectedness with relevance to MPAs
• fisheries recruitment processes
• catchment-related impacts
• cumulative impacts of human activity

3. Living marine resource inventories - this priority area acknowledges the importance of biodiversity studies and will provide increased information about:

• broad scale benthic habitats and marine flora and fauna distributions
• surrogates for measuring biodiversity

which can lead to benefits in:

• managing impacts in multiple use environments
• site selection for aquaculture or industry development
• fine scale mapping of areas of specific interest ;and to:
• assist with identification of marine protected areas

4. Baseline monitoring and defining natural variability of ecosystem function and change over time - will be important in order to:

• develop or identify appropriate natural variability parameters/indicators which are representative of key values or processes
• design and implementation of cost-effective systems to monitor these parameters in areas representative of undisturbed ecosystems and bioregions in the state.

5. Planning tools for Ecologically Sustainable Development - improved decision-making for agencies will be facilitated by the planned strategic research which will form the basis for the development of user-friendly and reliable management and decision-making tools.

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