Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

Seeing sea country (120235)

Melissa Nursey-Bray 1 , Nina Wootton 2 , Bronwyn Gillanders 2 , Shane Holland 1
  1. THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, Hallett Cove, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia
  2. Biology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia

The world’s oceans face many pressures yet being able to implement management protection in ways communities understand remains challenging- they are sites unseen. In Australia, marine and coastal estates are also the Sea Country for Australia’ s First Nations. In this paper we report on a community education initiative we implemented across South Australia to raise awareness of Sea Country and the need to protect it. Using the Fab Five ( Australian sea lion, white-bellied sea eagle, giant Australian cuttlefish, Great white shark and Southern right whale) as our tour guides we led school groups, via an art workshop into the importance of protecting Sea Country via marine protected areas. We will take you on a journey with the Fab Five and conclude with some reflections on what role such programs can play in building marine conservation.