Associate Professor Ana M. M. Sequeira, a marine ecologist based at the Australian National University, leads breakthrough research in the field of marine megafauna movement and conservation. She is a 2020 Pew Marine Fellow and the founder, Lead Coordinator and Research Director of MegaMove, a decadal project endorsed by the United Nations Decade for Ocean Science focused on pushing forward a new frontier in dynamic marine spatial management to improve marine megafauna conservation and show how big data in marine telemetry can be synthesised and translated into ecologically significant behaviours, addressing global scientific and societal problems highlighted in the Australian science and research priorities. Ana also continues to be an Adjunct Research Fellow with the University of Western Australia (UWA) Ocean’s Institute. She is the Group Leader of ‘Statistical Modelling and Marine Megafauna Conservation’.

Our dynamic group focuses on the development of innovative scientific analytical tools and application of well-established methods to address topical questions about marine conservation. Our research covers a range of topics, from predicting patterns of marine species occurrence and investigating marine megafauna movement, to the development of custom-made modelling tools to understand marine processes and assist sustainable development. We are particularly interested in providing information of relevance for marine conservation management. Check out our Sequeira Lab website and read more about our research projects here.

Our team values:

• Trust
• Respect
• Achievement
• Curiosity
• Community

 See our team on our website.

Check out our group stories and events on the Sequeira Lab news page.

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MegaMove – www.megamove.org

The MegaMove project has been endorse by the UN Ocean Decade for Sustainable Development! More information about the MegaMove project can be found at our new website here.

 

The Gathaagudu Animal Tracking (GAT) project – current

The Gathaagudu (also known as Shark Bay) Animal Tracking project will investigate the movement and habitat use of key marine megafauna species (such as dugongs - Wuthuga, turtles - Buyungurra, tiger sharks - Thaaka) in the World Heritage Area of Shark Bay, Western Australia. The project will use satellite tags and eDNA to identify the interactions between these species and habitat availability in Shark Bay, such as the extensive seagrass beds, to understand how they may be impacted by climate change.

 

Malgana Sea – current

The Malgana Sea Country project (MalganaSea) is a collaboration set in the Gathaagudu (Shark Bay) World Heritage Area incortporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This project builds on the recognition that Malgan Traditional Owners are active custodians of their Sea Country and have individual and communal knowledge that is essential for the effective co-management and conservation of Gathaagudu. This ecological research addresses key conservation and management questions and will play an important role in understanding and improving resilience of the marine ecosystem in Gathaagudu.

 

ICoast – current

The Integrated Coastal Analyses and Sensor Technologies (ICoAST) is a collaborative research project that will involve field activities throughout the Western Australian coast. ICoAST will develop novel sensor technologies to resolve habitat and will use crucial information on sea surface temperate, bathymetry, currents, and waves to map and understand marine and coastal habitats such as seagrass, macroalgae and mangroves. The projects will use a wide range of methods including satellite and drone imagery, unnmaned surface vessels, autonomous camera systems, as well as field measurements from boats and collection of plant samples via SUBA diving to assess the health of the plant communities and how they may respond to climate change.

 

The Global Shark Movement project - current

Led by Prof David Sims, GSMP is a scientific research project bringing together 40 shark research teams spread across more than 100 institutes in 26 countries. The aim is to advance scienfific knowledge of shark behaviour, ecology, conservation and fisheries science that can be used to inform improved management of threatened sharks and ocean biodiversity. Dr Ana M M Sequeira is a Steering Committee member of GSMP.

For more information about GSMP, visit the website here.

 

Marine Megafauna Movement Analytical Program – completed

MMMAP aims to significantly improve out understanding of marine megafauna movement at a global scale to assist the conservation and management of economically important, charismatic and threatened highly migratory marine species, including sharks, turtles and whales. It is led by Dr Ana M M Sequeira and composed of a core group if 11 international experts in Movement Ecology as well as an extended network of more than 50 collaborators and 40 institutions across 11 nations. Since its inception, MMMAP has produced a number of high-impact research papers.

 

Marine Megafauna Task Team (MMTT) – completed

MMTT formed at a workshop prior to OceanObs’19 organised by Dr Ana M M Sequeira aiming to implement a global initiative to coordinate marine megafauna tracking data so it becomes available to an inter-operable format that can be used effectively to inform policy makers. A range of representatives from national and regional tagging networks attended the workshop and together we started the steering committee for GOOS-ARTI, Global Ocean Observing System – Animal Research and Tracking Initiative.

This initiative started at OceanObs’19 in Hawaii. See here for more information.

 

AquaSpace – completed

AquaSpace was a global research project (2015-2018) funded by the European Commision Horizen 2020 and involved 22 international partners and 17 case studies in Europe, China, America, Australia and New Zealand. Its fill title was “Ecosystem Approach to making space for Aquaculture” and the main aim was to understand spatial and socio-economical constraints on the expansion of aquaculture, and to test tools to help overcone these constraints.

You can know more about AquaSpace (2014 – 2017) here.

 

Model Transferability – completed

The Model Transferability project was part of Dr Ana M M Sequeira’s postdoctoral fellowship (2013-2016) and accumulated with a symposium and focus group convened at the 4^th International Marine Conservation Congress in 2016 to discuss the transferability of models to increase the utility of predictive models. The event was led by Dr Ana M M Sequeira, Dr Katherine Yates and Dr Phil Bouchet, and led to a collaborative research involving 50 co-authors from 49 institution including world leaders in the field of Ecological Modelling.

The main event of the Model Transferability project took place at the IMCC (2016).