2016 SoE Marine Chapter - State and Trends - Sea snakes

The Marine chapter of the 2016 State of the Environment (SoE) report incorporates multiple expert templates developed from streams of marine data. This metadata record describes the Expert Assessment "The state and trends of quality of species and groups – sea snakes". The full Expert Assessment, including figures and tables (where provided), is attached to this record. Where available, the Data Stream(s) used to generate this Expert Assessment are accessible through the "On-line Resources" section of this record.

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DESCRIPTION OF ECOLOGICAL PROCESS FOR EXPERT ASSESSMENT
Assessing the status of sea snakes is a priority based on evidence of significant declines in some populations (e.g., Guinea 2007, 2013, Lukoschek et al. 2007, 2013). Australia has approximately 32 sea snake species, more than half of global diversity, including 13 endemic species. Sea snakes occur in a variety of shallow-water marine habitats in northern Australia, including estuaries, reefs, soft-sediment habitats, and seagrass meadows. Two endemic species are listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act and IUCN Red List, a further two endemics listed as Endangered and Near Threatened by IUCN have not been assess under the EPBC Act.

DATA STREAM(S) USED IN EXPERT ASSESSMENT
• Data primarily collected from an expert panel of sea snake researchers and marine resource managers during an IUCN Sea Snake Specialist Group Red List workshop in February 2009.
• Updated status of sea snake populations from coastal WA and off-shore Timor Sea Reefs obtained from reports and publications by Michael Guinea, Vimoksalehi Lukoschek, Blanche D’Anastasi and Kate Sanders

2016 SOE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY [see attached Expert Assessment for full details]
Status and trends within the Australian EEZ are largely unknown but likely to vary between species and bioregions. Species have almost disappeared from Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, the reasons for which are unknown.

CHANGES SINCE 2011 SOE ASSESSMENT
Largely agrees with 2011 SOE assessment with the addition of the declines reported from the NW Shelf.