Spatial ecology of marine mega-fauna: implications for their management

This research topic recognizes that an understanding of how animals use space is fundamental for their conservation. Topics of interest  include:

• The spatial and temporal distribution  of marine mega-fauna to provide effective management options to reduce space-use conflicts with human activities.

•  Behavioral and spatial responses of marine mega-fauna  to short-term impacts and long-term environmental variation.
• Species distribution models for effective prediction of distribution and habitat use patterns.

Specific projects:

• Understanding the temporal distribution of juvenile green turtles in south Brazil to inform their conservation
  
• Distribution and habitat use of sea turtles in Bimini: implications for their management
  
• Assessing the effects of the recreational bay scallop fishery on sea turtles in the Big Bend of Florida
• Distribution and habitat use of dugongs in Torres Strait and implications for their management
• Climate-mediated shifts in sea turtle nesting areas and future coastal development

Publications:

• Riskas, K. A., Fuentes, M. M. P. B., Hamman, M. (2016). Justifying the need for collaborative management of fisheries bycatch: a lesson from marine turtles in Australia. Biological Conservation, 196, 40-47.
  
• Fuentes MMPB, Bell I, Hagihara R, Hamann M, Hazel J, Huth A, Seminoff J, Sobtzick S,  Marsh H (2015) Improving in-water estimates of marine turtle abundance by adjusting aerial survey counts for perception and availability biases. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 471, 77-83

• Zeh DR, Heupel MR, Limpus CJ,  Hamann M, Fuentes MMPB, Babcock RC, Pillans RD, Townsend KA, Marsh H (2015) Is acoustic tracking appropriate for air-breathing marine animals? Dugongs as a case study. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 464, 1-10.
  
• Gredzens C, Hamann M, Marsh H, Fuentes MMPB, Limpus CJ, Shimada T (2014) Satellite tracking of sympatric marine megafauna can inform the biological basis for species co-management. PlosONe. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098944
  
• Fuentes MMPB, Bateman, BL, and Hamann M (2011) Relationship between tropical cyclones and the distribution of sea turtle nesting grounds. Journal of Biogeography, 38, 1886-1896
  

Key collaborators: Helene Marsh, Bob Pressey, Christian Gredzens, Christopher Cleguer, Mark Hamann, Brooke Bateman, Volker Radeloff, Ruth Kamrowski 

Funding: Sea Turtle License Plate Grants Program,  Australian Marine Mammal Centre, the Torres Srait Regional Authority, Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility and National Environment Research Program, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Save Our Seas Foundation, National Gographic.