Online and Sandy Bay
Summary:Mobilising science, industries & communities to restore giant kelp forests
Presenter(s):
- Professor Scott Ling, Marine Ecologist and ARC Future Fellow at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania
- Moderated by Professor Nicole Webster, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Office of the DVC-Research, University of Tasmania
More than 95 per cent of Tasmania's giant kelp forests have disappeared as warming waters and invasive sea urchins transform reef ecosystems along our coastline.
Marine ecologist Professor Scott Ling has spent decades diving on Tasmania's reefs to understand why productive ecosystems collapse and what it takes for them to recover. Restoring the giant kelp forests in Tasmania has become a key focus of his work in scaling-up solutions to repair reef ecosystems.
In this Island of Ideas keynote, Scott will take us inside one of Tasmania's most ambitious marine restoration efforts. From reducing sea urchin numbers and rebuilding rock lobster populations, to ‘seaweeding’ competing algae and out-planting giant kelp, he will explore how scientists, industry, and communities are working together to help the giant kelp.
Can we safeguard remnant giant kelp forests and bring them back where they’ve been lost in recent decades? And what might their capacity for recovery teach us about resilience in a rapidly changing ocean?
Professor Scott Ling
Marine Ecologist and ARC Future Fellow
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania
Professor Scott Ling is a marine ecologist and current ARC Future Fellow at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. His research focuses on how and why productive reef ecosystems collapse into impoverished low-value systems that can be difficult to reverse. He is interested in defining critical tipping-points and early-warning signs for reefs exposed to increasing, but ostensibly manageable human stressors including overfishing, invasive species and urbanisation in combination with climate change. His research approach is founded on a strong understanding of natural history gained from extensive SCUBA-based surveys and critical field experiments to reveal key mechanisms driving reef ecosystems.
Moderated by Professor Nicole Webster
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
Office of the DVC-Research, University of Tasmania
Professor Nicole Webster is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Tasmania with strategic oversight of the University’s research mission, with a focus on research excellence, research integrity, sustainable funding, and translating research outcomes into meaningful impact for Tasmania, Australia and the world. Nicole was previously Executive Director at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies where she had responsibility for improving understanding of temperate marine, Southern Ocean and Antarctic environments, their resources, and their roles in the global climate system through research, education and outreach. Nicole is an experienced science leader across both Academia and Government. From 2021-24 Nicole was Chief Scientist of the Australian Antarctic Program where she worked to develop innovative and collaborative pathways needed to improve understanding, management and conservation of this wild and fragile ecosystem. For the previous two decades, Nicole worked as Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Professor at the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland where she undertook research to uncover the contributions of microscopic life to marine ecosystem health.
Parking:
Free parking, including accessible spaces, is available at the venue.
Pre-event refreshments:
Head to the venue early and enjoy complimentary refreshments from 5.30pm.
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Photo Credit: Jarrod Boord
