Introduction to Underwater Environmental Noise Course, Brisbane Nov 24 & 25

The SVT Engineering Consultants course outlined below provides an opportunity for those wishing to build skills in assessing how underwater noise impacts on marine life.

Overview

Do you need to assess the impacts of underwater noise from piling, blasting, dredging and shipping on  marine life?

This course looks at how noise can affect marine animals and provides guidance on the environmental impact assessment process.

Course Duration:

2 days

Venue & Address

Christie Conference Centre, 320 Adelaide St, Brisbane, Qld 4000

Content

• Fundamentals of underwater acoustics
• Auditory structures and bandwidths of various marine animals
• Common noise sources
• Underwater sound and modelling
• Guidelines for assessment

Who Should Attend

• Environmental Scientists
• Environmental Engineers
• Personnel involved in environmental approvals
• Government officials

Participants will learn about:

• Principles of underwater acoustics
• Underwater noise impacts on marine fauna
• Fundamentals of underwater noise assessment

Download brochure.

Upcoming dates:

Thu Nov 24, 2011 - Fri Nov 25, 2011

www.ausmepa.org.au

World Oceans Summit 22-24 Feb 2012, Capella Singapore

February 22nd 2012 - February 24th 2012

From the official website here

"The world’s oceans are the setting for increasing economic activity and will continue to be so for years to come. Only in recent years have scientists begun to understand the significant impact of this growing industrialisation on the ecosystems of the seas and, by extension, on the broader biosphere we all inhabit. Now is the time to engage the global business community and change the nature of the debate.

The Economist’s World Oceans Summit will examine how the increasing activity in and around the oceans can be managed sustainably and what this means for business and other key stakeholders. Chaired by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-chief of The Economist, the summit will bring together more than 200 global leaders from various sectors and disciplines, including government, business, international organisations, NGOs, think-tanks and academia to participate in a unique, outcome-driven dialogue."

www.ausmepa.org.au

HEALTHY EATING, HEALTHY PLANET?

Red Paw Paw, fresh local Queensland fruit

What makes a healthy life and how does taking care of ourselves affect the planet? Every human activity from basic provision of food has an impact on nature. As our numbers grow the effects are intensified. 



Food choices also trigger trends in  how and what food is available to us. While working towards a healthy body you can also reduce the impact on the planet. 

Do we need to eat as much as we do? Sometimes just eating less can improve our health. Lower food intakes draw more lightly on our resources with less waste products produced. 


Highly processed foods often strip away desirable properties including fibre, vitamins or minerals (sometimes being added back later). The more highly processed foods are the greater the environmental impact -- more energy and water are used and emissions from processing, handling and transportation are created. 


Where we choose food that has been changed less usually less changes will occur to the environment. 


We are increasingly aware that chemicals used in the primary production of food can accumulate as toxins in our bodies. Some chemicals pass through our bodies before eventually being expelled through ocean outfalls joining other pollution entering from the land to the sea. 


Eating fish? Many top choice fish from the wild have depleted in alarming numbers however you can make sustainable fish choices. For easy reference download Australia's Sustainable Seafood Mini Guide at the Australian Marine Conservation Society here. If you are a school you may be inspired to see how Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School students are working on a local communication project related to sustainable fishing here


Be healthy, make healthy choices for yourself and the environment. Keep it simple, natural, fresh, local and as sustainable as possible to tread more lightly on our injured planet. 










www.ausmepa.org.au

Rhondda Alexander Memorial Education Grant (RAMEG) awarded to Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School

AUSMEPA would like to thank the Marine Teachers Association and the Australian schools were able to submit some wonderful projects for the inaugural Rhondda Alexander Memorial Marine Education Grant. The grant was awarded to Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School, Currumbin, QLD for their project Students Against Overfishing (SAOF).

Year 12 Students at Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School are initiating a campaign against overfishing after recently viewing a documentary called ‘The End of the Line’. Students had never heard about the issue before and became engaged in finding out what the local situation was. They determined that they could use a number of sources of media such as Facebook, webpage and production of a documentary for general viewing related to sustainable fishing in Queensland where fish stocks have depleted by 60% since the 1940s. Using the passion of the students Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School have demonstrated a way for schools to introduce marine environmental study and action by integrating it into technology, marine science and communication studies.

AUSMEPA were impressed with the student's initiative to learn more and look forward to sharing the student’s video clip with you at project completion.

Other excellent submissions for 2011 were:

• Turtles in trouble in Moreton Bay, Ormiston College

• Clontarf Beach SHS Mangrove revegetation project,  Clontarf Beach SHS

• Environmental Marine Management Boating Study, Heatley Secondary College

• Establish a Marine Protected area/Park and conduct a water treatment feasibility study and plan for Malevu Fiji,  St Leonards College

• Getting to know our reef and coastal area,Townsville SHS

www.ausmepa.org.au

SPOTLIGHT ON: Reef Guardians and the Reef Beat Series

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has a wonderful Reef Guardian Schools program designed to encourage students to learn about and participate in protecting the Great Barrier Reef. There are currently over 230 Reef Guardian Schools across Queensland. 


The GBRMPA Reef Beat Series provides education resources for those who want to learn more about the Great Barrier Reef and impacts to the Reef. Students and teachers can get quick easy access to posters, activities and other materials to help them get started in the classroom here 

Keeping our Australian waters as clean and healthy as we can is a primary objective of marine environmental education service providers and AUSMEPA heartily recommends these resources. But don't take our word for it. Take a look for yourself at the informative Sea Country Connections here


www.ausmepa.org.au

Sustainable Fishing Interactive Models

South Australia's Marine Discovery Centre at Henley Beach is now offering Sustainable Fishing Interactive Models. 

Director Mr Tim Hoile was thrilled to announce the launch of 4 new video-clips showing how 4 of the models work in the MDC. "We have completed 7 models for other organisations across Australia in the past year," he said. 

Models at the Marine Centre

Mr Hoile thanked Marine Leaders Lahana, Ellen, William and Josh for their contribution as ambassadors for the Star of the Sea School where the Marine Discovery Centre resides.

Find the centre's website here 

and see more models here  

The Henley Beach Marine Discovery Centre and AUSMEPA are partners in marine education and conservation.


www.ausmepa.org.au

OCEAN DIVE AND ECOTOURISM EXPO, Brisbane, Queensland Australia

Ocean Whispers has been telling you about the Ocean Dive and Ecotourism Expo and here is some more news...


New Exhibitors: Australia Safety Engineers, Dive Adventures, Eco Tourism Australia,  EGO Semi Submarine, Sundive Byron Bay, Sipadan Water Village Resort, Wananavu Beach Resort Fiji and Yamamoto Corporation. PNG Divers Association has just confirmed these dive operators  MV Chertan, MV FeBrina, MY Spirit of Niugini,  Tufi Dive Resort,Tawali Resort, The Dive Centre, Walindi Plantation Resort, Loloata Island Resort and Scuba Ventures Kavieng

Ecotourism Australia Village: Strictly reserved for Ecotourism Australia members only, it is proposed that this area will comprises of over 20 or more mini booths. See their website here: http://www.ecotourism.org.au/ New Special Interest Seminar Stage: All seminars at ODEX and Blue Edge are FREE but seating is limited. Due the popularity of our seminar series and the support of several industry key players ODEX has now introduced a 3rd stage in Hall 11.  Special Interest Stage speakers will be updated on a regular basis. New Speakers: ODEX welcomes  Josh Jensen who will present his topic: Diving in Queensland 2011 – life after the floods and Cyclone Yasi; Kym Cheatham the CEO of Ecotourism Australia will present: Ecotourism Who Wins; Clement Lee will present:  Unlocking Sabahs New Dive Sites and Islands Beyond Sipadan; Andre Tanguy will present:  A Practical Guide to Online Success for the Dive Industry;  Allan Nash will present : Philippines Puerto Galera and the Aussie Fundraiser and Michael AW will present:  Exotic, Erotic and the Extreme. This is presentation reveals the work of a underwater wildlife photo journalist through exotic expeditions, erotic moment and extreme experiences across the Indian Ocean through the Pacific and as well as glimpse of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia. Imageries include scenes of the life and death of mandarin fish, caught in a vortex of 200 mantas to hair raising moment when the photographer was lifted out of water by a hungry whale.

www.ausmepa.org.au