Poster Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2026 Conference

Identifying conservation priorities in a northern Australian seascape using Marxan (139267)

Sofi Forsman 1 , Alex Carter 1 , Catherine Collier 1 , Timothy M. Smith 1 , David Barrett 2 , Emma Barrett 2 , Jennifer Secker 3 , Laura Angus 4 , Rachel Groom 5 6 , Renee Rossini 7
  1. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia
  2. Marranbala Land and Sea Rangers, Namultja Aboriginal Corporation, Limmen Bight, NT, Australia
  3. Ausecology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  4. NT Parks and Wildlife, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, NT, Australia
  5. Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory , Australia
  6. ARC CoE for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  7. School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Marra Sea Country, located in the southwestern Gulf of Carpentaria (NT) is an ecologically important area that supports diverse benthic habitats, fish communities, and megafauna populations. Two marine parks are designed to facilitate long-term protection while allowing low impact use: the Limmen Marine Park (Commonwealth) and the Limmen Bight Marine Park (NT). However, it is unclear how these marine parks align with biodiversity across the seascape. We compiled a list of ecological, economic, and cultural values that are significant. Recent, comprehensive habitat and fish community surveys contributed critical information towards the ecological layers. Each value was spatially represented using ArcGIS Pro (ESRI) software and used as either inputs or costs in Marxan scenarios. Preliminary results indicate that seagrass habitats within the Limmen Bight Marine Park are particularly important areas of biodiversity, as they support fish and dugong populations. This work will contribute vital information towards collaborative management of Marra Sea Country.