Ms BURNET (Clark) – This adjournment speech is about climate scientist and educator Professor Gretta Pecl, who has become a Member of the Order of Australia. I congratulate Professor Pecl on receiving this accolade in recognition for her significant service to science, particularly ecological research, and to tertiary education.
Professor Pecl, who works in Hobart as the Director of Marine Socioecology, is a marine ecologist renowned for her work focusing on species and ecosystem responses to climate change, alongside her socioecological approaches to adapting natural resource management in a changing climate. With a strong passion and commitment to science communication, Professor Pecl engages the public skilfully, leveraging both citizen science initiatives and community engagement to make ecological concepts both accessible and engaging. Gretta is passionate about science communication and women’s participation, particularly in science. She has won multiple national and international awards for scientific research and scientific communication.
The niche field of socioecology combines human and ecological impacts. I read that a pivotal aspect of Professor Pecl’s career was her growing recognition of the crucial human element in marine biology, how actions and decisions above water can significantly affect life below.
I share with the House a defining moment in this journey. Her project with Tasmanian rock lobster fishers where she encountered contrasting views on climate change was initially met with scepticism. The fishers, in a workshop setting, shared observations of environmental changes that did not match expected climate change impacts.
This contrast highlighted the untapped potential of fishers’ experiences often overlooked in scientific research, and simultaneously, Professor Pecl had submitted a grant proposal to study population linkages of snapper on Tasmania’s north coast; the species increasingly reported in the area. However, the proposal was dismissed on the grounds that local fishers’ observations were not considered scientific evidence. This dismissal struck a chord with Professor Pecl, illuminating the gap between local ecological knowledge and scientific data recognition.
I heard Gretta tell of impacts on communities – from Inuit to Tasmanian – when I attended an international conference, Coast to Coast, held in Hobart in April 2018. I heard the ease by which Gretta described the concern and urgency of the impacts on communities of changing habitats along Tasmania’s coastline. She showed the value of local knowledge, as in this example I just described, with local fishers who know their patch of water intimately, whose knowledge was often dismissed and yet so valuable.
I first heard of Gretta’s work through my former colleague, councillor Bill Harvey, who told me of one of the most amazingly successful citizen scientist projects, Redmap. Redmap stands for Range Extension Database and Mapping Project. Redmap invites Tasmanians, and now all Australians, living on coasts to share sightings of marine species that are uncommon to their local seas.
This citizen science data maps which Australian marine species may be extending their distribution range in response to changes in the marine environment such as ocean warming. Redmap members use their knowledge of the seas to help monitor Australia’s vast coastline. The citizen science data also highlights regions and species that may be experiencing more distribution changes so that research can be focused into these areas.
This is a significant citizen science project which has introduced many people, especially young people, to the powerful impact of data and scientific research. It is a role model for women in science. I believe Gretta’s influence is very powerful. Engaging the students, particularly women, in this important area of research is one of her greatest achievements.
I understand that, like many of the talented people we walk amongst in Tasmania, the accolades are not what they desire. When preparing for this speech today, Professor Pecl sent me some notes and it was about her peers and the problems that urgently need addressing that she spoke. Tasmania punches hugely above its weight when it comes to marine and climate science. Hobart has more International Panel for Climate Change lead authors than any other city in the world, except where IPCC is hosted in Europe. She is one of these IPCC lead authors. I finish on three points important to Gretta.
Tasmania has almost four times the global warming average off our east coast. This means two things: We need to be at the forefront of understanding what changes are happening in real time, i.e. more standardised monitoring. It also means opportunities for Tasmanian science to lead the way for the rest of the world. Pretty poignant after today’s question time, as one example was a risk assessment process for fisheries and climate change that she developed with a team a decade ago that has been adapted in some of the world’s largest fisheries, including Canada, South Africa, India and Peru.
Tasmania is an island state. Our coasts and oceans are part of our culture – very important for so many other reasons, and we need to prioritise building greater public and political awareness and literacy around oceans, marine systems and climate change to best prepare our states for adapting as best we can and still building thriving sustainable industries and communities.
And thirdly, the Centre for Marine Socioecology has a low funding base. Given this, perhaps the state government could and should, if serious about climate change, consider funding this as a third partner.
Congratulations and thank you for your work and advocacy for our communities and waters. Professor Greta Pecl AM.
Members – Hear, hear.
