MELBOURNE, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have launched a major upgrade to an online platform that allows scientists, marine managers and the public to track the health of reefs inside marine protected areas (MPAs).
The major upgrade to the immersive Reef Life Explorer platform allows users to explore decades of ecological change across protected reefs in Australia and worldwide, according to a statement released Tuesday by Australia's University of Tasmania (UTAS).
The upgrade, developed by the UTAS Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Parks Australia and Reef Life Survey, brings together one of the world's largest collections of independent underwater reef monitoring data into a single interactive tool, the statement said.
The new platform enables users to directly compare ecological trends inside and outside protected areas using a standardized approach, showing how reef ecosystems respond to protection over time, it said, adding that Australia has designated more than half of its Exclusive Economic Zone as MPAs.
"These insights help us make more informed management decisions and evaluate whether conservation measures are delivering positive outcomes for reef communities," said Shaun Barclay, who heads marine and island parks at Parks Australia.
The launch comes as countries, including Australia, work toward the global goal of protecting 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Researchers said the platform draws on more than 36,000 underwater surveys conducted across 4,800 shallow reef sites worldwide, and provides data on 21 ecological indicators, including populations of sharks and rays, crown-of-thorns starfish, sea urchins and other species of conservation concern. ■