{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/DE260101878"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"DE260101878","attributes":{"code":"DE260101878","administering-organisation":"Flinders University","announcement-administering-organisation":"Flinders University","scheme-name":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2026,"years-funded":3,"project-start-date":"2027-03-04","anticipated-end-date":"2030-03-03","grant-summary":"Future-proofing Australia's Great Southern Reef. Climate change threatens Australia’s valuable temperate seaweed forests. This project aims to describe the responses of seaweed to warming and marine heatwaves and provide the best genetic management strategies for long-term survival for vulnerable seaweed populations. By integrating cutting-edge genomics, ecological forecasting, and biophysical models, the project will generate the knowledge required to develop tools and technologies that help prioritise and guide effective proactive management strategies to enhance seaweed forest resilience. Expected outcomes include improved capacity to safeguard these vital ecosystems and their essential functions and services, benefiting Australia’s government, marine managers, and coastal communities.","funding-current":534149.00,"funding-at-announcement":529912,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Georgina","familyName":"Wood","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0003-3855-0932 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Georgina","familyName":"Wood","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0003-3855-0932 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"Flinders University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"SA"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"Flinders University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"SA"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"310403","name":"Biological Adaptation","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"3108","name":"Plant Biology","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"310801","name":"Phycology (Incl. Marine Grasses)","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"410405","name":"Environmental Rehabilitation and Restoration","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"100399","name":"Fisheries - Wild Caught Not Elsewhere Classified","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"180206","name":"Rehabilitation Or Conservation of Coastal Or Estuarine Environments","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"190102","name":"Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Canada","Croatia","Denmark","England","New Zealand","Norway","Portugal","Spain","United States of America"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"Safeguarding seaweed forests is crucial for sustaining Australia’s fisheries, coastal culture, tourism, marine water quality, and carbon storage—ecosystem services valued at over 10 billion dollars annually. However, Australia’s coastal waters are warming up to three times faster than the global average, causing widespread losses of seaweed forests across southern states. Introducing naturally warm-adapted seaweeds to vulnerable populations has been proposed to combat these impacts, but its long-term effectiveness remains uncertain. This project will integrate cutting-edge genomics, marine ecology, and predictive modelling to assess the viability of genetic management strategies for enhancing resilience to warming and marine heatwaves. It will develop tools to guide strategic management, prioritise recipient sites and optimise seaweed donor selection to maximise resilience and return on management investment. This project is of national significance, directly supporting Australia’s efforts to reduce biodiversity loss and protect coastal ecosystems. Findings will be shared with government agencies, marine managers, and coastal communities to mitigate seaweed forest declines. The project is also of global significance, providing fundamental insights into species’ evolutionary potential under climate change. It will establish a global network of scientists and managers to test and refine these strategies while investigating long-term benefits for seaweed forests."}}}