Standard Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2026 Conference

Using genetic diversity and connectivity in the Yawuru Nagulagun (Roebuck Bay) Marine Park to assess the resilience of seagrass meadows (139689)

Yawuru PBC 1 , Wil Bennett 2 , Alex Carter 3 , Catherine Collier 3 , Jaz Cook 2 4 , Kevin Crook 2 , Mick Fong 2 4 , Alex Gibson 5 , Rachel Groom 6 , Vaughn Lee 7 , Dean Mathews 7 , Kathryn McMahon 8 9 , Jason Richardson 2 4 , Anna Frouws 8
  1. Yawuru Prescribed Body Corporate, Broome, Western Australia, AU
  2. Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Broome, Western Australia, AU
  3. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  4. Yawuru Ranger, Broome, Western Australia, AU
  5. Environs Kimberley, Broome, Western Australia, AU
  6. Faculty of Arts & Society, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia
  7. Nyamba Buru Yawuru Limited (NBY), Broome, Western Australia, AU
  8. Centre for Marine Ecosystem Research (CMER), Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
  9. Centre for People Place and Planet (CPPP), Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, AU

Yawuru Nagulagun (Roebuck Bay) is a coastal region of exceptional ecological and cultural value located in the Kimberley, WA. It is home to some of the world’s most productive intertidal flats and together with extensive seagrass meadows and mangrove forests these ecosystems are home to threatened species (e.g. turtles, dugongs, migratory shorebirds). The Bay holds deep cultural significance to the Yawuru People being central to their identity, law and tradition. The Yawuru Nagulagun Marine Park, co-managed by the Yawuru PBC and the DBCA, hosts one of the longest running citizen science monitoring programs in WA (since 2006) where quarterly seagrass monitoring is performed by Yawuru Rangers and citizen scientists with support from Environs Kimberley and Seagrass-Watch. This presentation showcases the findings of a collaborative research project between the Yawuru people, Edith Cowan University and Environs Kimberley to assess the health and resilience of the seagrass Halodule uninervis in Yawuru Nagulagun at important dugong sites. We used genetic analyses to assess the diversity and connectivity of seagrass populations. This work fills key knowledge gaps about seagrass diversity and recovery, strengthening Indigenous-led coastal management and supporting the protection of culturally and ecologically significant marine habitats.