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New paper: expansion of mangroves

June 2026

Congratulations to Prof Nick Murray and the research team on their new publication in Science, which reveals unexpected resilience in Earth’s mangrove forests over the past four decades. By developing an annual global dataset from long-term Landsat satellite observations, the team found that global mangrove loss rates have reduced substantially in recent decades, thanks to natural gains from seaward expansions. The result of these natural gains is a near net-gain in mangrove extent in the recent decade. This work highlights the potential to harness natural recovery and colonization processes in mangrove conservation, suggesting that global efforts should prioritize halting deforestation while enabling natural expansion and regeneration. Read the paper here.

Philippines ecosystem workshop

May 2026

This week, Alys Young contributed to a workshop focused on identifying, mapping, and assessing the status of the Philippines' ecosystems. Hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society and led by the IUCN, the workshop trained participants in the Global Ecosystem Typology, the Global Ecosystems Atlas, and the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.

The Red List of Ecosystems is the global standard for assessing ecosystem conservation status. Ecosystem mapping supports RLE assessments by providing information on the spatial extent of ecosystems and changes in their distributions over time. Alys demonstrated the modelling approaches of the Global Ecosystem Atlas to understand potential approaches for a national scale. Along with open datasets and software, the Global Ecosystem Atlas is currently developing reflections and guidance on how to collect ecosystem occurrence points and bring together multiple maps.

The Philippines is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Ecosystem mapping and Red List assessments are important steps forward for not only national decision-making and reporting on international agreements, but also for global biodiversity conservation. We are proud to contribute to such initiatives and look forward to seeing developments from the Philippines.

New paper: coastal wetland restoration review

February 2026

Congratulations to lab member Natali Lazzari and the research team on their new publication in Communications Sustainability which evaluates the equity of 35,440 coastal and marine projects in 84 countries. By developing an equity index and assessing projects globally, the team identified locations where equitable design and implementation are particularly critical. Read the paper here.

New paper: coastal wetland restoration review

February 2026

Congratulations to lab member Alys Young and the research team on the publication of their new global review in Restoration Ecology, which synthesizes 70 years of evidence on tidal reinstatement as a tool for coastal wetland restoration. By analyzing 93 projects across 12 countries, this research identified a significant evolution in restoration practices, moving from simple barrier removals in the 1950s to modern, complex eco-engineering and flow management solutions. This work highlights tidal reinstatement as an effective passive restoration approach while calling for more consistent global monitoring and geographic diversity to better support climate resilience and biodiversity goals. Read the paper here.

New paper: The Ocean Equity Index

February 2026

Congratulations to lab member Natali Lazzari, who has contributed to a new paper published in Nature, presents the Ocean Equity Index (OEI) — the first global tool to measure and advance equity in ocean initiatives, projects, or policies. The OEI is free, requires no training, and can be tailored to match project needs, ranging from rapid assessments to collaborative multi-actor workshops. The index employs 12 criteria to evaluate how ocean initiatives recognize - or don’t - the rights of all relevant actors, who participate in decision-making, and how the benefits and burdens of ocean initiatives are distributed among actors. Importantly, the OEI enables the identification of actions to improve equity. Read the paper here.

New paper: Recovery timeframe for seagrass carbon stocks

January 2026

Congratulations to former lab member Taylor Condron, who has published her Master’s research examining how short-term seagrass loss affects sediment carbon storage in tropical meadows. Using remote sensing and field data from the Great Barrier Reef region, the study shows that sediment carbon stocks remain largely intact when seagrass recovers within 3–8 years, but decline significantly when seagrass is absent for a decade or more, highlighting the importance of timely recovery for Blue Carbon conservation. Read the paper here.

New paper: Reasons to monitor biodiversity

December 2025

Congratulations to our post-doc Alys Young, who was involved in a new paper exploring ecological monitoring within a theory of change framework to ensure cost-effective actions for conservation. The study identifies 15 reasons for monitoring, extending beyond traditional science and decision-making to include social, cultural, and political benefits. By identifying and articulating the reason for monitoring, this research encourages monitoring programs to be intentional, transparent, and cost-effective, ultimately collecting data that leads to better policy and practices with and for nature. Read the paper here.

World Conservation Congress

October 2025

Nick, Alys, and Tom had the privilege of attending the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. The event provided a unique and inspiring opportunity to see central themes of our lab’s research reflected in high-level conversations among global conservation leaders. We were also encouraged by the prominence of ecosystem perspectives woven across these discussions. Even when expressed only in principle, this visibility signals a growing global commitment to ecosystem-focused conservation as a foundation for more efficient and holistic planning. We were honoured to contribute to several events organised by the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, particularly through our work on the Global Ecosystems Atlas. Above all, the week reinforced the importance of communication and engagement in ensuring that conservation science effectively supports action.

Global Ecosystems Atlas initiative partner meeting

October 2025

Following the IUCN World Conservation Congress, our team met with key technical partners of the Global Ecosystems Atlas who are helping drive this initiative forward. We were graciously hosted by Esri at its Dubai office, alongside collaborators from Ai2, the European Space Agency (ESA), Google, and IUCN. These conversations were both affirming and galvanising. The expertise and commitment of our Ecosystems Atlas partners make it clear that engaging with industry leaders is vital to both advancing the science required to safeguard nature and ensuring its application on the ground.

AI for biodiversity workshop

November 2025

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are critical tools to analyse ecological datasets and support conservation. The Environmental Informatics Hub, Monash University, recently hosted experts from diverse organisations to foster collaborations under the shared objective of aligning computational capabilities with real-world needs. Alys Young from the Global Ecology Lab at JCU contributed their experience mapping ecosystems for the Global Ecosystems Atlas. The workshop highlighted both the scale of the task ahead and the opportunity for AI to inform how ecological data are analysed, integrated, and applied. Sustained collaboration between ecologists, data scientists, and technologists will be essential to ensure that AI solutions are aligned with real-world priorities.

New paper: Thriving areas for marine conservation

October 2025

Congratulations to our lab member José A. Sanabria-Fernández who has led new research identifying thriving areas of southern Europe shallow reefs through an analysis of the functional structure of fish communities. These areas demonstrate a notable capacity for resilience in the face of environmental and anthropogenic stressors and emphasises the importance of considering functional dimensions of biodiversity to effectively guide conservation efforts. The findings underscore the significance of protecting these zones to maintain the resilience of marine ecosystems. Read the paper here.

ESRI Chief Cartographer visits the GEL

August 2025

It was a great pleasure to host Charlie Frye, Chief Cartographer of ESRI, here at the Global Ecology Lab for a week long workshop with our lab and with David Patterson from the Group of Earth Observations. The workshop focused on completing the design of the geospatial processing pipeline of the Global Ecosystems Atlas and finalising the data model of the Global Ecosystems Atlas Synthesis map. The synthesis map is a 110 class global map of the distributions of all of the world's ecosystem types, and is expected to be complete by late 2026.

Google AlphaEarth Foundations launched

July 2025

This month Nick was quoted in Google DeepMind's launch post about their new geospatial AI model - AlphaEarth Foundations. Our team has been testing the Satellite Embeddings in our work developing high-resolution classified maps of Earth's ecosystems for quite some time, and have been excited about the potential of this model for advancing our ability to map biodiversity. Congratulations to the whole Google team - a huge achievement that provides easier and broader access to the wealth of information in geospatial data archives. Read the DeepMind launch post here. Nick was also quoted in a Nature News article about the implications of this model.

New paper: An ecosystem typology through collaboration with Indigenous knowledge authorities

July 2025

Earlier this month, lab member Alys Young had a new paper released as part of her PhD research. The research shows the development of a new ecosystem typology and map for the Tiwi Islands, Australia. The typology draws on previous research and Tiwi knowledge through collaborations with Tiwi knowledge authorities and the Tiwi Land Council, and aligns with the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. Congratulations Alys! Read the paper here.

Indonesia Ecosystem Conservation Workshop

July 2025

Lab members Nick Murray and Tom Lloyd travelled to Bogor, Indonesia, this week to contribute to a workshop focused on identifying, mapping and assessing the status of all of Indonesia's ecosystems. The workshop was organised by the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems team, and involved trainings on the Global Ecosystem Typology, the Global Ecosystems Atlas Initiative, the use of geospatial foundation models for mapping a broad range of Indonesian ecosystems, and assessing the status of Indonesia's ecosystems using the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria. We're excited to continue contributing to such important conservation initatives.

International Congress on Conservation Biology, Brisbane

June 2025

Lab members Tom Lloyd and Naema Gros-Dubois attended the 2025 ICCB conference in Brisbane to connect with scientific networks and learn more about the current state of ecosystem conservation and modelling from a global perspective. Tom also presented his research on the patterns of mine ownership within protected areas globally.

GEL represented at CBD regional dialogue

May 2025

Ben Cresswell from the Global Ecology Lab attended the Pacific subregional dialogue on biodiversity monitoring and reporting, held in Apia, Samoa. Bringing together representatives from all 14 Pacific Island countries that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the dialogue was a great opportunity to showcase how the Global Ecosystems Atlas can support these nations in developing biodiversity monitoring systems, informing policy and conservation decisions and helping with reporting on progress towards meeting the 30x30 targets in the GBF.

Welcome to the team!

April 2025

Big, impactful projects like the Global Ecosystems Atlas demand big ideas, diverse skills, and plenty of passion. That’s why seven new members have joined the Global Ecology Lab team to help develop the Global Ecosystems Atlas. With a mix of backgrounds and technical expertise, the GEL team is now a dynamic, innovative hub where everyone brings a unique perspective and contribution. Welcome to Dhruv, William, Robert, Tess, Allison, Rebecca, and Ben!

Global Ecosystems Atlas meets Global Wetland Watch

April 2025

DHI is an international consulting and research organisation based in Denmark that aims to advance the world’s knowledge of water environments. DHI are currently working on developing the Global Wetlands Watch, which aims to map and monitor changes in wetland ecosystems around the globe. Christian and Daniel from the DHI team made the journey all the way to Queensland to showcase their outstanding work and connect with our team, noting the similar challenges that come with mapping ecosystems on the global scale. During the workshop, we explored various aspects of both the Global Ecosystems Atlas and the Global Wetlands Watch projects, sharing insights and common motivations. We also delved into plans for ongoing and future collaborations, aimed at enhancing mutual learning, and driving meaningful progress together. You can learn more about DHI's experience in Australia through this link.

The Global Ecology lab heads to Switzerland

March 2025

Nick, Ben and Naema attended a three-day workshop in Geneva at the Group on Earth Observations Secretariat (GEO) office focused on the detailed planning of the next phase of the Global Ecosystems Atlas initiative. The Global Ecology Lab team will be working hard over the next two years to further develop the Atlas data products as key resources for understanding the extent of the world's ecosystems.

Hiring: Postdoctoral Research Fellows

March 2025

We are currently looking for two full-time Postdoctoral research fellows to join our lab for the next two years. If you are an experienced researcher specialised in geospatial science, spatial modelling, ecology and/or remote sensing and you want to develop your emerging research profile and contribute to our understanding of the extent of ecosystems at national to global scales, apply through Seek or the JCU Careers Website.

Applications close on Wednesday the 2nd of April.

Work with us

February 2025

Are you an early career researcher or recent graduate with a passion for working in the geospatial and ecology fields? We are currently advertising several exciting full-time positions in our lab, where you could contribute directly to the Global Ecosystems Atlas initiative. Applications through Seek and LinkedIn are open until Friday the 7th of March.

Antarctic ecosystems revealed

January 2025

Congratulations to Anikó Tóth and team for this new paper out today in Scientific Data. This was an enormous and collaborative effort to develop a continental-scale map of ecosystem types over ice-free lands. Read the paper here and get the data under creative commons licenses here and here.

Global Ecosystems Atlas launch video

November 2024

See Nick's presentation at the CBD COP16 launch event in Cali, Colombia. In the video, Nick gives a guided tour of the atlas platform and explains how the atlas data products and platform can be used to support global ecosystem monitoring and management. The video can be viewed on Youtube here.

The Global Ecology Lab's very own Nick Murray providing COP16 delegates with an overview of the Atlas' technical features

Global Ecosystems Atlas prototype unveiled at COP16

October 2024

Since February, we have been working hard assessing and processing high quality ecosystem maps from all around the globe to help create the first iteration of the Global Ecosystems Atlas (GEA). The GEA was created through collaboration between a number of organisations including our lab, Group on Earth Observations (GEO), ESRI, Vizzuality and many more. The GEA is a harmonised, open resource that maps the extent of the world’s ecosystems to the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology. GEL Lead Nick presented at the official launch event for the GEA at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) hosted in Cali, Colombia on October 30th at 1800h (GMT-5). The GEA proof-of-concept can be viewed here.

Global Intertidal Change wins Google award

September 2024

We heard the great news recently that Global Intertidal Change, a long-term project led over a >6 year period by Nick, won a Google GEO for Good Impact Award. The awards are designed to celebrate organisations that are creating 'real-world impact' using Google's mapping tools. We use Google Earth Engine extensively for the Global Intertidal Change project, where it supported the development of two global datasets (Global Tidal Flats and Global Tidal Wetland Change). These open access datasets have been used broadly for protected area planning, world heritage nominations, highlighting change of coastal ecosystems worldwide, and supporting a broad range of scientific projects (examples). More information about Global Intertidal Change is available here.

Initiation of collaboration with Maldives Ministry of Environment

July 2024

Nick recently travelled to the Maldives to initiate a nationwide project to develop a national map of ecosystems. After formal signing of a project agreement with the Maldives Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (left), a 3-day workshop was held with participants from a wide variety of government departments, mapping teams from Ai2, ESRI and USGS, and members of the Group on Earth Observations secretariat. More information about this exciting project will be announced later this year.

3D marine mapping paper published

June 2024

Congratulations to Marine, who has recently published the first paper from here PhD. Change detection in ecosystems, particularly underwater habitats, requires accurate alignment of multi-temporal 3D models, but this is challenging due to issues like variable light and turbidity. This paper, recently published in Ecological Informatics, presents an efficient workflow for co-registering 3D models derived from underwater structure-from-motion methods, tested across various coral reef habitats. The study identifies key error sources in the workflow, with image acquisition and reference and scaling feature placement being the most significant, and provides guidelines to minimize these errors for reliable detection of ecological changes. Read here paper here.

Nick selected as Science Lead of the Group on Earth Observations Global Ecosystem Atlas

June 2024

Starting in February 2024, Nick has taken the role of Science Lead for the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Global Ecosystems Atlas Project. The Atlas brings together spatial data on the distribution of ecosystems developed at global, regional and national scales, and activates new mapping projects through a select set of accelerator programs. Supported by the CBD, IUCN and UN SEAA, this project is set to become a fundamental new resource for managing the planet's natural and anthropogenic ecosystems. Read more about the project here.

First global map of tidal marshes published in Global Ecology and Biogeography

May 2024

After years of development we're happy to report the paper "The distribution of global tidal marshes from Earth observation data" has now been published in Global Ecology and Biogeography. Led by Tom Worthington, who leads Cambridge University's Global Coastal Wetlands Lab, this paper develops a new high resolution map of tidal the world's tidal marshes. The analysis was a collaboration between JCU's Global Ecology Lab, Cambridge University's Global Coastal Wetland Lanb and The Nature Conservancy. Read the paper here.

New migration resilience paper in PNAS

April 2024

This outstanding paper led by Simeon Livoski investigates the vulnerability of migratory birds to environmental change. The team developed a new migration modeling framework to identify optimal migration strategies in the past, present and future for five shorebird species in the East Asian Australasian Flyway. A better understanding of how much migration pathways need to change to account for environmental change is a powerful basis to improve management for some of our most threatened migratory species on Earth. Read the paper here.

New paper in Nature Geoscience

April 2024

Our new review is now out in Nature Geoscience: Anthropogenic impacts on mud and organic carbon cycling. The paper reviews how human activities have altered the production, transport and fate of mud and associated organic carbon, and synthesises their influence on global carbon cycling. Read the paper here.

Allen Coral Atlas paper just published

March 2024

We have just published the main Allen Coral Atlas paper, entitled 'New global area estimates for coral reefs from high-resolution mapping'. Lead by Mitch Lyons (UNSW / UQ ), the paper acts as a scientific reference and summary of the Allen Coral Atlas project and data products, including global reef extent, and the distribution of benthic and geomorphic classes.

Some incredible figures from the paper about the Allen Coral Atlas are: 1.5 million training samples, >400 contributors, >2.1 million satellite images and 100 trillion pixels of data to produce a global 5-m map of coral reef ecosystems. Congratulations to the whole team of this amazing data product.

The dataset is for free on the ACA website (https://allencoralatlas.org) and you can read the paper here.

Position available for Research Assistant: Global Ecosystem Atlas

February 2024

We are recruiting for the position of Research Assistant: Global Ecosystem Atlas. The position will be based in the Global Ecology Lab at James Cook University's Townsville campus. For more information about this position please refer to the opportunities page on this site.

New paper in Nature Ecology & Evolution on the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

February 2024

Our Progress article in Nature Ecology and Evolution explains how the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems contributes to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and monitoring it's progress towards 23 important targets (for 2030) that aim to achieve four global conservation goals (for 2050). Led by Prof Emily Nicholson at the University of Melbourne, the paper shows how the Red List of Ecosystems can help the parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity to achieve these targets and goals. Read the paper here.

A conservation status assessment of Rakhine's Mangrove ecosystems (Myanmar)

January 2024

Congratulations to finished PhD student Dr Calvin Lee for publishing his last PhD paper. The analysis used a diverse range of indicators - including historical analyses, static maps and dense-time series analysis of earth observation archives - to assess this ecosystem as Critically Endangered. Calvin now works at the University of Hong Kong as a Post-doctoral Researcher in the Global Ecology and Remote Sensing Lab (see his website here).

Access the paper here.

New Paper on the projected retreat of coastal habitat in response to warming trends published in Nature.

September 2023

This paper outlines the probable exposure of coastal ecosystems to relative sea level rise based on current warming trends. It reveals that widespread retreat of coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, saltmarshes and reef islands, is likely to occur at warming levels above 1.5°C. An associated news article was also published in response to this new paper. Access the paper here and see the news article here.

News article on China's coastal megafauna

August 2023

Nick was recently quoted in a news article in Nature about the status of China’s coastal megafauna. Nick’s comments focus on a new paper, published in Science Advances (read here), which revealed that China’s large coastal species are not being adequately protected by conservation measures.

You can read the news article here.

The Australian Saltmarsh map is now available

June 2023

We have completed the development of Australia's first wall-to-wall, nationally consistent and updateable map of Australia's saltmarsh ecosystems. This was an extensive and collaborative effort involving JCU, the Clean Energy Regulator, UNSW, Geoscience Australia and more than 25 coastal researchers from 15 different institutions. The remote sensing classification uses a set of nationwide remote sensing-derived covariate layers (spectral and physical) and ML models to map the distribution of two tidal marsh types at the continental scale (‘saltmarsh’ and ‘saltflat’). The training dataset for the model included 31,660 point records developed using a combination of in-situ data submitted by experts and high-resolution image interpretation.

The datasets can be visualized through this link and the dataset is made freely available in the Figshare data archive (here).

New 2023 IUCN Situation Analysis of the Yellow Sea coastal habitats now available

April 2023

More than 10 years ago Nick was involved in writing the influential 2012 IUCN Situation Analysis on East and Southeast Asian Intertidal Habitats report. The 2012 report was one of the first major international collaborative efforts to support conservation of the critical habitats fringing the Yellow Sea region of East Asia. This new report, again co-authored by Nick and a team of international authors, is the result of extensive cooperative efforts from around the Yellow Sea. It reports the drastic changes in coastal policy and protection that have seen a range of improvements to the status of the Yellow Sea's vital coastal ecosystems. However, the report reveals that urgent efforts are still required to conserve habitats and tackle the remaining and emerging threats across this region. You can read the new report here.

News & views published in Nature

February 2023

This invited contribution summarises an outstanding new analysis of the global change of wetlands over the past few centuries. Read the paper here.

coastTrain paper published

December 2022

This paper documents a global reference dataset that combines our work on Allen Coral Atlas, Global Mangrove Watch, Global Tidal Wetlands Change and Global Tidal Flats. The open-access dataset can be used to develop large-scale maps, validate existing maps and support coastal conservation activities. Read the paper here. https://www.coasttrain.org/

New ecosystem typology published in Nature

October 2022

Today we published a new paper which introduces a new system for classifying any ecosystem on Earth. This was a massive international effort with more than 100 scientists and more than 5 years in development. The paper describes an ecosystem classification scheme designed to support global efforts to estimate the status of the world's ecosystems, supporting efforts to assess the CBD Conservation Targets, Sustainable Development Goals and act as the base to complete the first global Red List of Ecosystems. Read the paper here and explore the typology at www.global-ecosystems.org

Publication of The State of the World's Mangroves

September 2022

We contributed two chapters to the 2022 State of the World's Mangrove report, edited by Marice Leal and Mark Spalding. Our chapters focus on (1) how our new global datasets support an improved understanding of tidal wetland change and (2) how to assess risks to mangrove ecosystems at the global scale using the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria. Read the full report here.

New Global Mangrove Watch paper published in Remote Sensing

July 2022

The Global Mangrove Watch is a flagship high-resolution dataset on mangrove extent and change. The GMW analysis was developed using L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) by Pete Bunting and a growing team of contributors. The GMW data have been vital for assessing large-scale mangrove dynamics, supporting systematic conservation planning and as an indicator to assess global conservation targets. Read our new paper on the latest version of GMW here and interact with the version 3.0 data on the GMW website (https://www.globalmangrovewatch.org).

Global tidal wetland analysis published in Science

May 2022

After three years of extensive model development and collaborations, we have published the paper "High-resolution mapping of losses and gains of Earth’s tidal wetlands" in Science. The paper advances more than 10 years of work to better map change of tidal wetlands at large scales, developing a monitoring approach for detecting the distribution of tidal wetlands as well as the ecosystem type and timing of their change over a 20 year period. Read the paper here or visit the project website. Media releases are also available at JCU and The Nature Conservancy.

Maldives ecosystem typology

February 2022

This month we delivered the report "Maldives: Applying the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology" to our funders, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Maldives. The report details the systematic application of the new IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology to marine and terrestrial ecosystems that occur within the Maldives EEZ. Authored by Maren Toor and Nick Murray (JCU), together with a group of experts with extensive field experience across all of the natural and anthropogenic environments in the Maldives, this report establishes the baseline necessary to assess conduct a national-scale assessment of the risk of collapse of the ecosystems of the Maldives. Read the full report here.

How can we manage the trade-off between coastal restoration and ecosystem losses?

February 2022

Expanding mangroves and the growing number of coastal wetland restoration projects in Asia present a unique challenge for managing coastal environments. In this new paper, led by Chi-Yeung Choi and published in Conservation Biology, we discuss the potential conflicts between coastal restoration and afforestation projects with maintaining critical tidal flat habitats that support one of world's major bird migrations. We also offer a range of management strategies to better manage this difficult trade-off. Read the paper here.

Developing Australia's first nationally consistent map of saltmarshes

December 2021

We have been funded by the Clean Energy Regulator to develop Australia's first nationally consistent map of saltmarsh. The map will be developed using remote sensing methods developed in the ARC fellowship project Assessing risk to coastal ecosystems with new earth observation models. Read more about the maps and methods at https://www.saltmarshes.org/

IORA Blue Economy Forum

November 2021

We delivered a training workshop on "Earth Observation for Conservation" at the IORA Forum - Earth Observation for an Indian Ocean Blue Economy Workshop. The workshop gave participants an opportunity to learn remote sensing classification models via our free online app www.remap-app.org. Read more about IORA and the Indian Ocean Blue Carbon Hub here.

Singapore Geospatial Festival 2021

September 2021

Nick Murray presented the talk "Losses and Gains of Earth's intertidal ecosystems" at the Singapore Geospatial Festival. The festival included a session on the use of Google Earth Engine in Asia and developed a suite of great resources and trainings, see here.

Post-doc opportunity in the lab

July 2021

We have a new post-doctoral research fellow opportunity in the lab. The position focuses on contributing to a continent-wide effort to map the distribution and change of Australia’s saltmarsh ecosystems, working with collaborators at Geoscience Australia, Clean Energy Regulator and University of New South Wales. Find out more about the position and apply online here

Scientific foundations for an ecosystem goal

August 2021

An effective and meaningful ecosystem goal is necessary to meet global environmental agendas, however, no synthesis of the scientific basis and criteria have previously been established to develop this goal. In the paper, led by Prof Emily Nicholson, which was published in Nature Ecology and Evolution yesterday, we discuss the components needed to develop an effective ecosystem goal, the indictors necessary to monitor this goal, and our recommendations for indicator selection. Read the paper here.

A new classification system for coral reefs

August 2021

Any mapping project requires clear definition of map classes. Emma Kennedy's new paper, published in Scientific Data today, develops and describes Reef Cover, a reef classification scheme that underpins the Allen Coral Atlas. Read the paper here.

Managing data freshness

June 2021

Data freshness, a poorly reported aspect of data quality, is a pervasive problem in ecology and conservation where, in some cases, datasets developed decades are go are still used to support environmental decisions. We introduce this issue in the fields of ecology and conservation and propose solutions in our new paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Read the paper here.

Training data for global ecosystem mapping

Training data remains one of the most time consuming and difficult components of any global ecosystem mapping project. In a new paper led by Chris Roelfsema (UQ), we introduce the expert-driven workflow to generate training and validation data for the global scale mapping of coral reefs being conducted for the Allen Coral Atlas. Read the paper here.

Ramsar wetlands of international importance

After nearly five decades since the Ramsar Convention was signed, Prof Richard Kingsford and co-authors take a look at lessons learnt for wetland conservation and key challenges for improving the effectiveness of the Ramsar Site Network. Read our new paper here.

Shorebird habitat at risk in mainland China

Congratulations to UQ PhD student Micha Jackson, who recently published her work in the Journal of Environmental Management. The analysis examines the area of tidal flat loss between 2000-2015 and maps the increasing extent of invasive Spartina alterniflora in coastal mainland China. Read the paper here.

Mapping mangrove ecosystem degradation

Congratulations to PhD student Calvin Lee for publishing his recent work mapping mangrove degradation with earth observation data in Remote Sensing. Calvin used a conceptual model of mangrove degradation to identify key variables that were ultimately used to model the distribution of mangrove ecosystem degradation across the Rakhine region of Myanmar. Read about the model development, its practical application, and the case studies here.

Global maps of forest ecosystem integrity

In a new paper published in Nature Communications led by Hedley Grantham, we generated a globally consistent index of forest condition as determined by the degree of anthropogenic modification. With this we found that only 40.5% of forests globally have high landscape-level integrity and only 27% of that area is located within designated protected areas. Read the paper here.

Myanmar ecosystems paper published

Our new paper detailing the outcomes of a 3-year project to identify and assess the status of Myanmar's natural ecosystems has just been published in Biological Conservation. We worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society local team and a large group of ecosystem experts estimate risks to more than 60 of Myanmar's terrestrial ecosystems. This is the scientific publication arising from the recently launched Threatened Ecosystems of Myanmar report. Read the paper here.

Global analysis of tidal flat conservation

Today a new paper on the conservation of tidal flats, led by honours graduate Narelle Hill (University of Queensland), was published in Conservation Biology. We analysed the performance of protected areas in conserving tidal flat ecosystems worldwide. Read the paper in Conservation Biology here.

New global mangrove typology

We have a new paper on the global distribution of mangrove forest ecosystems. Led by Tom Worthington at Cambridge University, we classified and mapped mangroves according to their biophysical and geomorphic setting. The paper sets up a baseline for assessing variation in mangrove ecosystem services and for informing appropriate mangrove restoration strategies. Read the paper published in Scientific Reports here.

Deep learning for reef mapping

A collaboration with Remote Sensing Research Centre (University of Queensland) and the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science (Asner Lab, Arizona State University) has led to a new, global scale analysis of the distribution of coral reefs. This exciting paper from the Allen Coral Atlas project was led by Jiwei Li, Nick Fabina and Greg Asner, and describes how we used convolutional neural networks to generate a coral reef probability map from high spatial resolution Planet Dove imagery. Read the paper here.

Threatened ecosystems of Myanmar launched

After 3 years, 4 field trips, >3500-kms of Myanmar traversed, and 3 workshops with local experts, we are pleased to launch the Threatened Ecosystems of Myanmar report. The report develops a new ecosystem typology for Myanmar (64 ecosystems described), develops a national ecosystem map using Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 data analysed in Google Earth Engine, and assesses each ecosystem under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems criteria. The project was conducted in with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Read the 350+ page report here. A preprint of our first paper is here.

Featured in Science

This week a special issue of Science focuses on the dynamics of mud and sediment at the global scale (Science: a world of mud). The feature "Mud on the move" includes a striking new visualisation of the data underlying Figure 1 of our paper The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats (Nature, 2019). Read mud on the move here.

GEO-GEE scheme success

Today, The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) have announced 32 projects from 22 countries that will be awarded $3 million USD towards production licenses and $1 million in technical support from EO Data Science to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges using open Earth data. I am very pleased to report that our free and open-access remote sensing app Remap (https://remap-app.org) was one of these projects. The scheme will allow us to deliver several key improvements aimed at giving non-experts the tools needed to map and identify ecosystem change. Read more about the program here.

Big data for mangrove conservation

We have published a new paper detailing how big data can support mangrove conservation. The huge team of authors, led by Tom Worthington (Cambridge University/The Nature Conservancy), describe how new and emerging datasets can be assembled to support policy action and on-the-ground conservation. Read the paper here.

Dense-time series remote sensing

A new paper by Calvin Lee, whose PhD focuses on the use of remote sensing in conservation, was just published. The paper develops a new method for estimating significant trends in the area of an ecosystem by developing classified maps of entire archives of satellite images. Calvin demonstrates the method in northern Myanmar. Read the paper here.

Mapping coral reefs globally

The first paper from the Allen Coral Atlas is now online. Mitch Lyons led the paper that describes the remote sensing framework that is being implemented to develop the world's most high resolution and accurate maps of coral reef benthic and geomorphic environments. Read the paper here.

Associate Editor

Happy to begin as an Associate Editor at Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (RSEC) in early 2020. RSEC is an open access journal focusing on multidisciplinary research from the interface between remote sensing science and ecology and conservation. Read more about RSEC here.

Australian Antarctic Science grant success

We have just been funded by an Australian Antarctic Science grant for the project Assessing risks to Antarctic terrestrial and nearshore ecosystems (2019-2022). Our team, led by Prof David Keith (UNSW) and including co-investigors Prof Steven Chown (Monash), Dr Justine Shaw (UQ), Dr Jonny Stark (AAD) and Dr Aleks Terauds (AAD), will develop spatial distribution models, diagnostic models and data reviews of to conduct a comprehensive systematic risk assessment to terrestrial and nearshore ecosystems in Antarctica.

Moving to James Cook University

After post-doctoral positions at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (UQ), the Remote Sensing Research Centre (UQ) and the Centre for Ecosystem Science (UNSW), Nick will commence as a Senior Lecturer at James Cook University (JCU) in early September 2019. See my JCU portfolio here.

Australian scientist in the running for APEC Science Prize

A researcher whose work assesses the conservation challenges and management risks associated with sea level rise has been chosen as Australia’s nominee for the US$25,000 APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE). Dr Nicholas Murray from UNSW Sydney was selected by an expert panel ... Read the story here (Australian Academy of Sciences) and here (The Australian).

Shortlisted for Robert May Prize 2018

Our paper on Remap - our free online app for remote sensing - was shortlisted for the Robert May Prize in Methods in Ecology Evolution. Use Remap for quickly making maps with Landsat data thanks to the power of Google Earth Engine. Read more here.

ARC Linkage Success

We have just been funded under the ARC Linkage scheme for the project A global standard for the status of Wetlands of International Importance. Led by Prof Richard Kingsford, the project brings together a large research team from academia, NGOs, and governments to develop a new standard to assess and report ecological condition of internationally important wetlands listed under the Ramsar Convention. Read more here.

Editing a special issue of Remote Sensing

Dr Mitchell Lyons (University of New South Wales), Professor Stuart Phinn (UQ) and I are editing a special issue of Remote Sensing. We are particularly interested in operational remote sensing for ecosystem monitoring, such as habitat mapping, the extraction of biophysical variables, the detection of biological and ecological parameters, detecting changes and disturbances, assessing risk, assessing the efficacy of management actions, and providing evidence for compliance with regulations and policy. Read more here.

Redlistr R package

Today we published a paper in Ecography describing our new Redlistr R package. Development of the package was led by PhD student Calvin Lee, and allows users to compute the spatial metrics required for the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems and IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Redlistr has already been installed a few thousand times. Read the paper here.

Featured in The Guardian

Our analysis of the global distribution and change of tidal flats was featured in The Guardian yesterday. I discuss how we applied a machine learning classifier to the entire Landsat archive to map the distribution of one of the last unmapped coastal ecosystems and what it could mean for tidal flat conservation. Read the story here.

Featured in Hakai Magazine

Our new paper in Nature is featured in Hakai magazine. This is the story of tidal flats, their global distribution as discovered by machine learning and remote sensing, and how their losses are impacting shorebird populations around the world. Read the story here.

Nature paper published

Our new Nature paper reports the global distribution and change of the intertidal zone. Our high-resolution maps are first maps of tidal flats, which we show are similar in extent to mangroves and are declining. The paper is a result of a grant we received from Google in 2016, aimed at solving the problem of mapping an ecosystem that is frequently obscured by the tide. Read more here.

ARC DECRA Success

Yesterday I received the great news that I have been awarded a Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) by the Australian Research Council. The award it to support research contributing to a global ecosystem risk assessment for coastal ecosystems, and includes aims related to remote sensing, coastal ecosystem modelling and risk modelling. Read more here.

Featured in the New York Times

This week an important article on migratory shorebirds that features some of my research was published in the New York Times.

Joining the Allen Coral Atlas

I've just joined the team developing the Allen Coral Atlas, a collaboration between Planet, University of Queensland, Carnegie and Vulcan. I'll be contributing cloud-based machine learning expertise to analyse a high-resolution global mosaic of Planet imagery to enable the production of high-resolution maps of coral reefs for the entire globe. Read more about the project in a recent National Geographic article here and on the project website here.

Global mangrove restoration

Congratulations to Tom Worthington and Mark Spalding (and many others!) from The Nature Conservancy on the launch the global mangrove restoration potential project, for which I contributed via a few workshops. Read more about the project here, read the technical report here and explore the map viewer.

New book chapter

I have a new book chapter in Allison Leidner (NASA) and Graeme Buchanan's (RSPB) recently launched book, Satellite Remote Sensing for Conservation Action. My chapter is on the use of remote sensing for conserving East Asia's declining coastal wetlands. Find the book here.

ARC Linkage Success

We recently received the exciting news that our ARC Linkage Grant was successful. The project Ecosystem risk assessment: new solutions to the global biodiversity crisis aims to develop a typological framework for the world’s ecosystems, and undertake the first global risk assessment for ecosystems. Read more about risk assessment here.

Featured in Nature

Nature's recent article Ecology’s remote-sensing revolution features me and my work using remote sensing to investigate ecological questions at the global-scale. The article starts "When ecologist Nicholas Murray started digging into remote-sensing data for ..." Read more.

REMAP reaches 9k users

Some recent press coverage has pushed the number of users using our Google-funded free online remote sensing software (https://remap-app.org) to more than 9,000 users in less than a year since its launch.

New STOTEN paper

Our paper on the use of remote sensing for ecosystem risk assessment was just published in Science for the Total Environment. The paper was an output from a workshop that included Emily Nicholson, Nathalie Pettorelli, David Keith and Richard Lucas. Read it here.

New RSEC paper

We have published a review on using remote sensing for monitoring ecosystem functions. In particular, the review proposes the adoption of a set of definitions and a typology for ecosystem functions, and outlines how these functions could be monitored using earth observation. Read it here.

New animations of coastal wetland data

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology have recently produced a range of documentaries that highlight the alarming plight of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The most recent video includes incredible visualisations of the remotely sensed data delivered in our 2014 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment paper.

Launching REMAP

In 2016 we received funding from Google to develop a cloud-based online remote sensing application that allows users to quickly develop classified maps for any location on Earth from Landsat data. After 15 months of work, we are pleased to launch remap, the remote ecosystem monitoring and assessment pipeline (https://remap-app.org). The paper describing REMAP was published in Methods in Ecology and the Environment, read it here.

New paper in Nature Communications

In a new paper led by Colin Studds we demonstrate that shorebird species in Australia and New Zealand that are declining most rapidly are those that spend the most time in the Yellow Sea, where their tidal mudflat habitat is Endangered. Read more here and a nice write up of what's causing the world's shorebirds to decline here.

Google intertidal project

We have been funded by Google to to produce the first global map of tidal flat ecosystems. We plan to use the immense power of Google Earth Engine and nearly 1 million Landsat images to develop the maps, which will represent the first ever map of the global intertidal zone.

Eureka prize

Last night we were awarded the 2015 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research! Read more about the award, for the work of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems team towards assessing risks to ecosystems, here.

Australian Geographic

Some of my work was featured in a four part feature by the Ann Jones of the ABC on the alarming plight of migratory shorebirds. The radio documentary is available on ABC, with the long-format article here (flying for their lives) and the a story in Australian Geographic.