NESP MaC Project 1.12: Benthic Habitat Maps for Yanyuwa Sea Country, 2021-2022

Benthic survey data and habitat maps were created for the Yanyuwa Indigenous Protected Area in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The project was conducted by Marra and li-Anthawirriyarra rangers in partnership with Charles Darwin University and James Cook University from 2021 to 2022. Outputs include spatial datasets and a final technical report with recommendations for policy makers.

Use Cases

• Modeling intertidal habitat distribution based on the described benthic survey data.
• Informing sustainable management decisions for the Yanyuwa IPA based on the mapped critical habitats.
• Supporting policy recommendations for migratory species conservation based on the project's key findings.

Strengths

• Data is focused on an area of profound importance to Indigenous communities and the Gulf of Carpentaria ecosystem.
• Project leverages partnerships and co-funding from multiple organizations, including the Mabunji Aboriginal Corporation.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field surveys conducted by Indigenous ranger groups and academic partners.

Time Range

2021-2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 15:38:51.339926; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Yanyuwa Indigenous Protected Area and connected coastal areas, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia.