Marine biodiversity in the Australian region

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Biodiversity assessment
• Australian marine ecosystems

Background:

• The Australian marine jurisdictional area, including its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), harbors significant biodiversity.
• Existing databases provide an incomplete picture of marine species richness, endemism, and threats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the known and estimated marine species diversity within Australia's EEZ.
• To identify introduced and threatened marine species.
• To provide a baseline for marine biodiversity management.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of data from four primary databases: Australian Faunal Directory, Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota, Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums, and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System.
• Inclusion of data from specialized databases for introduced and threatened species.
• Expert opinion used to estimate species not in major databases and undiscovered species.

Main Results:

• Approximately 33,000 marine species are documented in major databases, with 130 introduced and 58 listed as threatened.
• An additional 17,000 named species are known or potentially present but not yet in databases.
• A crude estimate suggests up to 250,000 marine species, known and undiscovered, may exist in the Australian EEZ.

Conclusions:

• Australia's marine environment hosts a vast and incompletely cataloged species richness.
• Declining taxonomic expertise poses a challenge to ongoing biodiversity assessment and management.
• Marine protected areas and other management measures are crucial for conserving Australia's marine biodiversity.