Shark Bay (Gathaagudu) Research – Western Australia

2020 to 2023

Shark Bay World Heritage Area faces significant challenges due to climate change. The devastating 2010/11 marine heatwave, for example, caused substantial losses in seagrass meadows.

Fellow Supporters

• UWA Oceans Institute

• CSIRO

• AIMS

• Government of Western Australia (DPIRD)

• Kemper Shaw

• James & Marion Taylor

• Minderoo Foundation

However, the long-term impacts of such extreme events on the diverse plant and animal communities that play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance, supporting social well-being, and contributing to the local economy remain unclear.

To address this knowledge gap the Foundation, together with the other supporters listed, funded a program of animal tracking to investigate the movements and habitat use of iconic megafauna such as turtles, dugongs and tiger sharks in Shark Bay.

This initiative also fostered collaborative knowledge-sharing and aimed to build research capacity within the Malgana (Indigenous community of Gathaagudu) by formalising traditional ecological knowledge and providing training in Western marine science.

This $0.8 million collaboration brought together leading scientific organisations to predict and manage the resilience of Western Australia's coastal habitats in the face of climate change. This work may also apply to other ecosystems around the world, and paved the way for a more comprehensive understanding and protection of our planet's coastlines. More research into this World Heritage Property is urgently needed.