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Shark Bay: A World Heritage Site at catastrophic risk.

There is growing awareness of the need for greater acknowledgement of underwater prehistoric cultural resources as part of management and regulation of the seabed around many maritime countries, especially those with large indigenous populations and history such as Australia. Prehistoric cultural places and landscapes inundated by Post-glacial sea-level rise on Australia's continental shelf remain largely out-of-sight and out-of-mind, hence awareness and hence legal protection of this resource is lacking. There is a clear need for greater integration of archaeology and cultural heritage management within the marine sciences as well as a greater awareness of this resource as part of a common heritage more generally. This paper explores some of the dichotomies between Western and Indigenous cultures in valuing and managing the seabed. We argue that in developing science-policy, an attempt at least needs to be made to bridge both the gap between the nature and culture perspectives, and the jurisdictional divide between land and sea. Part of the answer lies in a convergence of Indigenous knowledge with Western science approaches, focused around our understanding of physical processes impacting past and present coastal landscapes and on the seabed itself. We explore several case studies from northern and Western Australia that are trying to do this, and which are helping to provide a greater appreciation of the inundated landscapes of the inner shelf as part of a common heritage.

A new study of the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park has found that further protection may be needed to shield the reef against the impacts of climate change.

A new study of the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park has found that further protection may be needed to shield the reef against the impacts of climate change.

The third global bleaching event took its toll on Western Australia's super-corals.

Refreshed and salty from its travels along the Ningaloo Reef, our favourite underwater robot Starbug X has been shining a light on some of the secrets beneath the world-heritage waters.

Bangladesh coal plant threatens World Heritage mangrove: petition.

Bangladesh coal plant threatens World Heritage mangrove: petition.

Massive seagrass beds in Western Australia's Shark Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - haven't recovered much from the devastating heat wave of 2011, according to a new study demonstrating how certain vital ecosystems may change drastically in a warming climate.

Despite being the third largest ocean in the world, the Indian Ocean is one of the least explored marine environments. Covering around 20 per cent of the Earth's surface and spanning more than 73 million square kilometres, it's an important channel for over half the world's shipping.

India must engage maritime nations.

India must engage maritime nations.

Exmouth split over pipeline factory proposed for gulf that supports Ningaloo Reef.

Watching one manta's propeller wound heal has revealed a scarring pattern previously mistaken for a shark bite.

Kenya : manifestation contre la première centrale au charbon d'Afrique de l'Est.

Large numbers of dugongs, sea snakes and other marine animals disappeared from the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shark Bay, Western Australia, after a heat wave devastated seagrass meadows, according to recently released research.

Threatened inshore dolphins and other species need protecting from proposed industrial expansion in Exmouth Gulf - an unprotected habitat adjoining the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Ningaloo Coast and Marine Park, warn experts from Flinders University's Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL).

The relatively pristine coral populations of WA's inshore Kimberley region are better equipped to survive ocean warming than the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park, according to a new CURTIN University study.