Since the last scientific information needs update in 2005, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (the Act) has been amended to include a requirement to publish a five yearly Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report. The Outlook Report is now the GBRMPA's primary reporting mechanism and the first Report was released in September 2009. In developing the Outlook Report, the GBRMPA compiled and synthesised the best available scientific information relevant to management of the Marine Park. In doing so, requirements for future scientific information needs have been identified.

The Outlook Report assesses the current state of the environmental, social and economic values of the Great Barrier Reef. It also examines the pressures and current responses, and finally considers the likely outlook. Values and pressures are considered under eight assessments, which are broken down to assessment criteria and assessment components. For further information on Outlook assessments, assessment criteria and assessment components, please see the Outlook Report 2009.

Although we consider, for example, components of biodiversity and ecosystem health as distinct entities, it is critically important to recognise that all these entities are inter-connected, that the ecosystem operates as a whole, and that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Similarly, we consider various pressures on the ecosystem as distinct entities, but it is the interaction between pressures, and in particular their cumulative impacts, that are often of greatest concern. Further, complex interactions between biodiversity, ecosystem health and cumulative impacts determine the resilience of the ecosystem, a concept which is fundamental to the protection of the Marine Park.

This Framework is structured in table format to depict the interactions between the Outlook Report assessment components (See Framework Tables). It shows the level of concern to management and the current adequacy of knowledge to help identify priority information gaps that need to be addressed.

Meeting these needs will improve the information base for decision-making in relation to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem as well as help better inform future Outlook Reports.

The broad questions around the assessments and assessment criteria of the Outlook Report are described below. The Framework Tables then provide more detailed information on how individual components interact with each other.

Assessment: Biodiversity

Assessment criterion: Habitats to support species 

What is the distribution of, condition of, and drivers of change in habitats to support species? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: islands; beaches; mangroves; seagrass meadows; coral reefs; lagoon floor; shoals; Halimeda banks; continental slope and open waters.

Outlook Report 2009 also identifies the pressures on coastal ecosystems, especially coastal wetlands, from coastal development as a significant issue. See Table - Scientific information needs for biodiversity components.

Assessment criterion: Populations of species and groups of species 

What is the distribution of, condition of, and drivers of change for species or groups of species? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: mangroves; seagrass; macroalgae; benthic microalgae; corals; other invertebrates; plankton and microbes; bony fish; sharks and rays; marine turtles; sea snakes; estuarine crocodiles; seabirds; whales; dolphins and dugongs. See Table - Scientific information needs for biodiversity components.

Assessment: Ecosystem Health

Assessment criterion: Physical processes

What is the status of physical processes, how are they supporting the species and habitats listed under 'Biodiversity', and how are they being affected by the pressures listed under 'Factors influencing the Reef's values'? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: ocean currents; cyclones and wind; freshwater inflow; sedimentation; sea level; sea temperature; and light. See Table - Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components.

Assessment criterion: Chemical processes

What is the status of chemical processes, how are they supporting the species and habitats listed under 'Biodiversity', and how are they being affected by the pressures listed under 'Factors influencing the Reef's values'? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: nutrient cycling; pesticide accumulation; ocean acidity; and ocean salinity. See Table - Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components.

Assessment criterion: Ecological processes

What is the status of ecological processes, how are they supporting the species and habitats listed under 'Biodiversity', and how are they being affected by the pressures listed under 'Factors influencing the Reef's values'? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: microbial processes; particle feeding; primary production; herbivory; predation; symbiosis; reef building; competition; and connectivity. See Table - Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components.

Assessment criterion: Outbreaks of disease, introduced species and pest species

What are the causes, incidence rates and consequences to the habitats and species listed under 'Biodiversity' of disease, introduced species and pest species? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: outbreaks of disease; crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks; introduced species; and other outbreaks. See Table - Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components.

Assessment: Commercial and Non-commercial Use

What are the environmental, social, economic and cultural benefits of commercial and non-commercial use, and what are the impacts, including cumulative impacts? How do these benefits depend on the habitats and species listed under 'Biodiversity' and the processes listed under 'Ecosystem health'? Specifically, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following assessment components: commercial marine tourism; defence; fishing; ports and shipping; recreation (not including fishing); scientific research and traditional use of marine resources.

See Tables - Scientific information needs for biodiversity components; Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components; and Scientific information needs for benefits of use.

Assessment: Factors influencing the Reef’s values 

What are the impacts, including cumulative impacts of climate change, coastal development, catchment runoff, and direct use (as detailed under the assessment 'Commercial and Non-commercial Use') on environmental values (the habitats and species listed under 'Biodiversity', and the processes listed under 'Ecosystem health'), as well as economic and social values (listed under 'Commercial and Non-commercial Use)? See Tables - Scientific information needs for biodiversity components; Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components; and Scientific information needs for benefits of use.

Assessment:Ecosystem Resilience

What are the patterns of recovery after disturbance of different components of the ecosystem? For example, the Outlook Report 2009 considers the following: coral reef habitats; lagoon floor habitats; black teatfish; coral trout; loggerhead turtles; urban coast dugongs; and humpback whales. See Tables - Scientific information needs for biodiversity components; Scientific information needs for ecosystem health components; and Scientific information needs for benefits of use.

Related information

• Framework Tables
  
• Translating information needs into research for management