High School – Ocean Education & Conservation

Marine Mammal Conservation &Management

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:15:36 +0000

marine mammals and their habitats. It explores approaches and complexities relating to the conservation and management of marine mammals using case studies. Suitable for high school and university students, this is 1-hour presentation is delivered by one of our marine biologists who specialise in dolphin and whale communication and research.

Biology & Ecology of Marine Turtles

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:10:54 +0000

Marine turtles are among the most threatened species globally and Northern New South Wales provides vital habitat to local populations. Learn about the biology, ecology, threats and conservation of marine turtles in this 1-hour presentation. This presentation is delivered by one of our marine biologists who specialises in marine turtles.
Optional excursion: Marine debris and litter are one of the major threats to marine turtles. On this field excursion, we head down to the local beach for a marine debris survey collecting data on the types and density micro and macro litter.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services –Understanding the Economic Value of Nature

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:07:22 +0000

Ecosystem services are the numerous benefits that nature and its biodiversity provide to humans through the transformations of
resources such as fertile soils, provision of food, raw materials and freshwater, regulation of atmospheric concentrations of oxygen and
greenhouse gases, and protection from floods, storms and erosion, to name a few. Humans would all perish if these ecosystem services
were compromised. Ecosystem services also promote life quality and wellbeing.

In this session, participants gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of ecological economics and learn to attribute economic value to the natural resources and ecosystem services during an interactive, engaging presentation. During our field trip, participants have a first-hand experience by observing, identifying and classifying these ecosystem services as we explore the biodiversity of our coast. We finalise the session with what we call ‘circle time’, in which participants share the insights gained from the session. This session provides an opportunity to focus on the solutions for our current challenges such as climate change, creating models that integrate the social and environmental dimensions to promote sustainable growth for the economy.

Marine Food Webs

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:00:51 +0000

All organisms in food webs are classified into trophic levels. The marine food webs are made up of an array of energy producers such as phytoplankton and a few trophic levels of energy consumers, starting from zooplankton. What happens when one or more of these trophic levels are disrupted due to environmental or human factors? In this interactive activity, participants engage in the saga of our ocean’s food webs to understand the threats that break their equilibrium and what actions we can take to help maintain their integrity.

Conserving and Restoring Mangrove Forests – A Climate Change Mitigation

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:57:06 +0000

For decades, mangroves were widely underappreciated for their pungent smell and for being associated with mosquitos. More recently,
there has been an increasing interest in mangroves for the invaluable ecosystem services that they offer. They are ecologically rich coast guardians, providing habitats for diverse species and nurseries for marine life. As climate change mitigators, mangroves act as a buffer protecting the shorelines and also store the blue carbon.
During this field trip we engage our participants in a very informative walk and talk. Participants learn about climate change and examine the ecomorphology of the incredible mangrove system to understand how they have evolved and adapted to live in a harsh tidal environment.
We explore the ecological role mangroves have for marine life, and the fundamental ecosystem services they provide that are crucial to
mitigate climate change.

Cetacean Communication

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:53:29 +0000

Learn about the intricate and fascinating communication systems of dolphins and whales, the properties of underwater sound and noise pollution in this 1-hour presentation. Suitable for high school and university students, this program is delivered by one of our marine biologists who specialise in dolphin and whale communication and research.

Cetacea Biology & Ecology

tropixel — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:50:27 +0000

This program provides an academic outline the biology and ecology of whales and dolphins. Designed to be delivered to complement science and biology subjects for high school students, this program is a unique opportunity to meet a professional marine biologist and learn about the biology, adaptations, social systems and conservation of marine mammals from those working in this field of research. This workshop-style program will engage students through interactive activities and discussions.
Optional excursions: two different field excursions can be added to this program.
– Excursion option 1: Groups can choose land-based whale and dolphin watching with our marine biologist educators (location can be arranged to suit your group).
– Excursion option 2: Groups can choose to join us in the field on a whale watching tour boat from Brunswick Heads or Tweed Heads. Group sizes for this option are limited to 10 student (due to boat capacity). Please contact us for more details and pricing for this option.