Dr Duke, recognised worldwide for his specialist knowledge of mangrove forest and tidal wetland ecosystems, and a former marine investigator for the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, believes the survey sets a positive example for all industry types working near vulnerable shoreline habitats.
The Great Barrier Reef will be over within 20 years or so," Charlie Veron, former chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, told The Times.
Aerial surveys of the hotspot by scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science recorded "an exceptional diversity and abundance" of dolphins and whales, according to findings recently handed to officials in Dili.
Strong evidence points to the cause being a combination of warmer seas and higher acidity from increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers reported.
They are the most biodiverse habitats in the oceans, but we still have a very poor idea of what lives on them," said Julian Caley, head of conservation and biodiversity at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and co-leader of the Census of Marine Life's reef project.
New funding for climate change Increased funding ($44 million) for a new National Climate Change Adaptation Flagship, which will develop a simulator to integrate climate and water knowledge (comprising CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, Rural Development Corporations, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation).
Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the ARC Centre of Excellence for Reef Studies (ARC CoE), and James Cook University say pesticides are so poisonous that they can prevent coral spawning, and consequently harm the reef's ability to regenerate and protect itself.
It is hoped the department's work, alongside the London School of Pharmacy and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, will herald a new future for the development of such compounds.
