WAMSI 2 - Kimberley Node - Project 1.1.2 - Key ecological processes in Kimberley benthic communities: recruitment and herbivory, Western Australia

Identify the timing of coral and fish replenishment (recruitment of young) in the Kimberley. Determine the significance and impact of algal and seagrass eating species (herbivores) on the Kimberley marine ecosystem. Understand how these ecological processes work in different Kimberley habitats such as coral reefs, mangrove and inter-tidal areas.

Key overall objectives of the project include identifying the nature of these processes from a representative habitat perspective, identifying the important taxa involved in these processes, providing baseline quantitative information, establishing safe monitoring sites and the development of cost-effective techniques suitable to the challenging Kimberley environment.

Field data has been collated and combined into excel spread sheets and locational ESRI GIS shapefiles.