Sharing marine park science through partnerships

Acting Director of National Parks Dr Judy West today launched the new Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas.

“Australia now actively manages the world’s largest representative network of marine protected areas and science has played a central role in establishing this network and it will continue to shape our understanding of these incredible parks,” Dr West said.

“Parks Australia is committed to supporting further scientific research in our marine parks and sharing the remarkable discoveries our researchers are making at the blue frontier. Using maps, videos, images and data, the online Atlas brings emerging science stories from our marine parks to life.

“The Science Atlas is a true partnership product, bringing together the technical expertise of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) with the marine park expertise of Parks Australia and the diverse skills and interests of the science community.”

Dr Marji Puotinen, the scientist leading this project from AIMS, said the AIMS team developed a specialised mapping program to bring together multiple sources of information in an interactive and accessible format. The Atlas now provides a great platform for interested people to explore our marine parks, and enables scientists to identify knowledge gaps and showcase their research.

Australian Marine Parks contain almost every marine habitat and species found in Australian waters, often in relatively undisturbed conditions, which makes them a fantastic place to carry out scientific research and study these biologically diverse ecosystems.

Parks Australia is excited to engage in these endeavours and have created the Science Atlas with a view to ensuring scientific outputs are more accessible for marine park managers, scientists, students and interested members of the community.

Dive into the Science Atlas