The Pacific Region ERAF provides a comprehensive approach for assessing all threats to marine ecosystems by evaluating cumulative risk from multiple activities to multiple ecosystem components for ecosystem-based management (EBM), improving upon international and national best practices in risk assessment that focus solely on single activities (e.g., ERAFs for assessing fisheries impacts) or single ecosystem-components (e.g., habitat-based risk assessments). This project aims to apply this ERAF in the Pacific Region to the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) as a pilot project to assess the feasibility and suitability of the ERAF as a tool for determining risk of harm to ecosystem components, and its usefulness for providing transparent and defensible science-based advice on prioritising ecological risk of different activities for ecosystem-based management and MPA management. Because it is based on a subset of SECs and stressors affecting PNCIMA and the resulting scores have not been vetted by experts, the results of this pilot application should not be used for policy or management decisions at this stage.

The Pacific Region ERAF provides a comprehensive approach for assessing all threats to marine ecosystems by evaluating cumulative risk from multiple activities to multiple ecosystem components for ecosystem-based management (EBM), improving upon international and national best practices in risk assessment that focus solely on single activities (e.g., ERAFs for assessing fisheries impacts) or single ecosystem-components (e.g., habitat-based risk assessments). This project applies the Level 2 Risk Assessment framework (O et al. 2015) to the SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area (SKB MPA) to determine the relative risk to the SKB MPA ecosystem from anthropogenic activities.

The Pacific Region ERAF provides a comprehensive approach for assessing all threats to marine ecosystems by evaluating cumulative risk from multiple activities to multiple ecosystem components for ecosystem-based management (EBM), improving upon international and national best practices in risk assessment that focus solely on single activities (e.g., ERAFs for assessing fisheries impacts) or single ecosystem-components (e.g., habitat-based risk assessments). This project applies the Level 2 Risk Assessment framework (O et al. 2015) to the Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents Marine Protected Area (EHV MPA) to determine the relative risk to the EHV MPA ecosystem from anthropogenic activities.

This record provides an overview of the scope of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project E1 - "Guidelines for analysis of cumulative impacts and risks to the Great Barrier Reef". No raw data products are anticipated for this project. The project will develop guidance for the analysis of cumulative impacts and risks to the environmental, social and economic values of the GBR. The project will use existing information to develop guidance for use by GBRMPA, DoEE, the Queensland Government and proponents of future development proposals. The project will build on the work undertaken in the GBR Strategic Assessment and support works undertaken under the Reef 2050 plan. The guidance will provide a practical science-based approach to assessment of cumulative risks to the Reef. Research will focus on providing a general and repeatable approach to be applied at the whole-of-reef scale (to meet planning, assessment and reporting requirements of the GBRMPA) and also at the development-site-scale (to meet the environmental assessment requirements of the GBRMPA and future proponents). The guidance will be developed in close collaboration with the GBRMPA and DoEE to ensure it is practical and compatible with relevant legislation and policy applicable to proposed actions within the GBR. The project will include a case study focused on attributing impacts of pressures and their cumulative impacts on shallow-water coral reefs of eastern Australia (including cumulative impacts for the whole-of-GBR). It will also examine how this could be applied to shallow temperate reefs follow recent risk assessments conducted in NSW. Research is primarily designed to meet the specific needs of GBRMPA and future proponents. NSW DPI, QLD Government and Parks Australia, may also benefit from the case study and insights to assessment of cumulative impacts. Planned Outputs • Case Study Report on GBR & Coral Sea reefs pressure analysis. • Final report - guidance for analysis of cumulative impacts and risk