Abstract
ABSTRACT BP is investing $A1.43B and drilling four exploratory wells in the hope of discovering a new deep-water oil and gas province in the Great Australia Bight (GAB). The GAB is one of Australia's most valuable marine ecosystems. It supports globally significant populations of seabirds and marine mammals, diverse and endemic benthic assemblages and important fishing, aquaculture and ecotourism industries. Two research agencies (CSIRO, South Australian Research and Development Institute) and two universities (University of Adelaide, Flinders University of South Australia) recently entered into a collaborative research partnership with BP Australia to undertake an integrated study of the ecological processes and socio-economic importance of the GAB. Uniquely, this four year $20M research program is being undertaken during the exploration phase and conducted as a single integrated program. The Research Program is comprised of seven themes: physical oceanography; pelagic ecosystem and environmental drivers; benthic biodiversity; ecology of iconic and apex predators; petroleum geology and geochemistry; socio-economic values; and data integration and ecosystem modelling. Sixteen inter-related projects are being undertaken by some of Australia's leading marine scientists and will involve at least seven post-graduate Ph.D. students. Scientific quality assurance is provided by a review process that involves an Independent Science Panel and BP's international Subject Matter Experts. Ecological data collected during the study will be publically available. Findings will be presented to stakeholders and regulators and published in technical reports and scientific papers throughout the course of the program. The program is one of the few whole of system studies ever undertaken in Australia and is the first large-scale, integrated study of the ecosystems, resources and socio-economic values of the GAB. The approach has several advantages over undertaking discrete projects on key issues near the start of the production phase.1)BP Australia's financial contribution has leveraged significant investment from the other partners.2)Establishing baseline environmental conditions during the exploration phase provides the opportunity to conduct temporally replicated analyses of the ecosystem prior to commencement of production, should it occur.3)Engaging with the local scientific community builds on the existing knowledge base and working relationships with stakeholders and will assist the development of relevant local scientific capability.4)An integrated program provides for efficient development and validation of whole of system (i.e. ecological and socio-economic) models that elucidate interconnections among components of the system and can inform decisions regarding future development and predict, monitor and assess potential future impacts.
Published Version
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