COASTCARER Awards Entry Deadlines

2013 State & Territory Coastcare Award Entry Deadline Extended!

The closing date for entries in the 2013 State & Territory Landcare Awards has been extended in several states, giving Landcarers, farmers and community groups some valuable extra time to get their entries in and be a part of these prestigious biennial Awards. Entries have closed in New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria, and the closing dates in all other states and territories are: Queensland 10 July South Australia 14 July Australian Capital Territory 15 July Western Australia 31 July Northern Territory 31 August The nine diverse categories cover a wide range of environmental projects and themes, including sustainable agriculture, coastal rehabilitation, Junior Landcare team work, and Indigenous land management. Individuals, schools, community groups and networks working to protect or restore local environments can be nominated or nominate themselves.  All winners at a State & Territory level in each of the nine national categories go forward as finalists to the 2014 National Landcare Awards. Category Overview Coastcare Award This award will be made to a community group/network for excellence in activities that have contributed to the significant improvement of local coastal and/or marine environments, including estuaries, coastal and marine wetlands and salt marsh ecosystems. Indigenous Land Management Award This award will be made to an outstanding indigenous community group or individual that is working towards improving land use and/or enhancing or protecting an area on behalf of the community. Other award classifications: Individual Landcarer Award  Westpac Agribusiness Innovative Young Landcare Leader Award Qantas Landcare Innovative Community Group Award Partnerships with Landcare Award Innovation in Sustainable Farm Practices Award Landcare Facilitator or Coordinator Award Junior Landcare Team Award To submit a nomination, or to read about the categories, criteria and closing dates,click here.

www.ausmepa.org.au

Trash in the deep sea: Bringing a hidden problem to light

www.ausmepa.org.au

Tangaroa Blue is Caring for Our Country at Mapoon

Volunteers from Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers, Conservation Volunteers Australia, GhotsNets Australia and Tangaroa Blue spent 5 days removing 3687kg of rubbish from Mapoon Back Beach. Along with 2563 gill net floats (that you can buy from them), 877 cigarette lighters they also collected 7154 orphan thongs - smashing the Cape York record.

Did the all the debris go to landfill? Nope. Eight silo bags of plastic were diverted from landfill, compacted and sent to Brisbane for recycling. Several other organisations worked cooperatively with the group. To find out more you can be inspired by reading the whole article here on the Tangaroa Blue website.

Congratulations to all volunteers and partner organisations for a spectacular effort!
Thanks also to Caring for Our Country for providing funding assistance.

Teachers wishing to incorporate Marine Stormwater Pollution into their teaching plans can visit AUSMEPA's website here.

www.ausmepa.org.au

CSIRO Researchers Want to Know What YOU Think About the Great Barrier Reef

CSIRO is enouraging people to contribute to their sum of understanding about where the Great Barrier Reef sits in people's minds and hearts. 

"Decision makers need as much information as possible to understand the role people will play in the future of the Great Barrier Reef."  Dr Nadine Marshall, CSIRO social scientist and project lead

The CSIRO blog here tells us::

"Amazing facts about the Great Barrier Reef:"

• The reef runs for 2300km down the east coast of Australia – so big it can be seen from outer space
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) listed the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site in 1981
• The Reef is home to the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1625 species of bony fish and 3000 types of mollusc
• Within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (348,000 square kilometres) there are almost 3000 individual reefs of varying sizes and shapes, and over 900 islands
• About ten thousand ships travel through the reef area every year
• Commercial fishing is the fifth largest primary industry by value in Queensland, with a value of about $360 million each year
• More than 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owner clan groups along the east coast of Queensland assert Native Title rights, interests and responsibilities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.*

To read the whole article click here

www.ausmepa.org.au

ARKive; an awe-inspiring record of life on Earth

ARKive is a unique collection of thousands of videos, images and fact-files illustrating the world's species. World’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, they have been creating a freely accessible resource for conservation, education and public awareness.

On the site you will find information and images on terrestrial and marine plants and animals as well as teaching resources, games and apps. The information can be filtered regionally for places around the world.

ARKive is a not for profit initiative under UK's Wildscreen charity. 

"Our work with Google, IUCN, WWF and other conservation organisations enables us to bring the natural world into homes, classrooms and onto handheld devices around the world.

Discover and learn about the world’s endangered animals, plants and fungi - reveal what they look like, what makes them special and why we should protect them." 

See the ARKive website here.

www.ausmepa.org.au

Seafarers Refresher Educational Training Package

AUSMEPA  MEDIA RELEASE

This media release is issued by the

Australian Marine Environment

Protection Association (AUSMEPA)

For further information contact: JULIE NASH

Acting Executive Director

Mobile: 0412 876109                julienash@ausmepa.org.au 

                                                                                                                     

AUSMEPA’s electronic ‘Seafarers Refresher Educational Training Package’

AUSMEPA has the aim of informing and assisting the officers and crew of its member-vessels and other vessels transiting Australian waters.

 

AUSMEPA is now providing its member-companies and others with the Association’s latest electronic publication titled “A Refresher Training Guide for Seafarers on Ships in Australian Waters”. This has been produced in collaboration with AMSA (the Australian Maritime Safety Authority) and HELMEPA (the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association).

Australian waters cover an area of approximately 14 million square kilometers and feature a wide variety of climatic, oceanographic and geographical characteristics. They hold a rare biodiversity of terrestrial and marine species, together with the world’s largest “living organism” – The Great Barrier Reef, our natural wonder that has been evolving for more than one million years. The Great Barrier Reef must be navigated safely with respect and care, given that Australia depends on the shipping industry for the transportation of approximately one billion tonnes of raw materials and products each year both imports and exports through our ports.

Besides the requirements of IMO, the Guide also comprises of Australian legislation and MARPOL requirements regarding ship tracking and reporting systems, navigation in the inner routes of the Great Barrier Reef, ballast water management, biofouling and the permissible draught of ships in Torres Strait.

AUSMEPA’s intention is that the new Guide will also facilitate and assist all seafarers transiting Australian waters, in their effective cooperation with AMSA for the promotion of the common goal of safe navigation and pollution prevention, especially in the sensitive marine areas of this vast continent. It is available in Chinese, English, Greek, Japanese, Russian and Ukrainian.

www.ausmepa.org.au

OCEAN LITERACY PRINCIPLES UPDATED

The Ocean Literacy Campaign ad-hoc committee announced the publication of a new version of “Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts of Ocean Sciences for Learners of All Ages.”  This guide (here) replaces the version first published in July 2005. 

Some of these changes include: an additional concept for Essential Principle 4 that describes the role of the ocean in providing water, oxygen, and nutrients and moderating climate as well as the integration of ocean acidification into existing concepts.

The new guide also adds information on how the guide has been used in the past eight years; describes related international developments; and provides links to social networks for the Ocean Literacy Campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

Want a copy immediately?  A version suitable for printing is available online at: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OceanLitGuide_LettersizeV2.pdf.

www.ausmepa.org.au