Finding the ASX200 for marine ecosystems

The state of an ecosystem can be understood by measuring the right ecological characteristics, just as the ASX200 index shows the state of the Australian stock market by following 200 selected stocks.

CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship scientist Dr Keith Hayes, one of the leaders of the project, says the difficult part is selecting which characteristics to track.

"Ecosystems respond to multiple pressures and threats in complex ways," Dr Hayes says.

		IMAGE: Marine indicators will be invaluable in protecting biodiversity, such as this recently discovered invertebrate from western Australia's deep sea. Click here for more information.

"Identifying reliable and robust indicators of change from among the many species and characteristics of the system is a challenging task."