Goal #14 Life Below Water | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

8th

in the world for SDG 14

UNSW achieved the ranking in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

2023

Emeritus Professor Trevor McDougall was awarded the NSW Premier’s Prize for his trailblazing oceanography and ocean thermodynamics research.

1 million

hectares of kelp forests

UNSW is leading an ambitious restoration challenge aiming to plant a million hectares of kelp seaweed by 2040.

In this video, Professor Tracey Rogers from the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences breaks down some of the key challenges behind SDG #14.

Our work

Creating living seawalls

The UNSW co-led Living Seawalls project is being trialled in harbours across Australia, in Asia and Europe - building living seawalls to promote marine life and better ecosystems. In 2023, UNSW helped install new walls and design new piling wraps for wharfs.

Researching marine heatwaves

UNSW researchers led a 24-day mission aboard Australia’s flagship ocean research vessel to study a deep eddy forming off Sydney that could have triggered another coastal marine heatwave.

The Kelp Forest Challenge

A million hectares of kelp forests need planting by 2040, and scientists need our help. This ambitious restoration challenge led by UNSW aims to restore these forgotten forests.

Tackling seafood fraud

At the foreshore of sustainable fishing: UNSW researchers are partners in this project that developed a handheld scanner which uses nuclear methods and mathematical models to determine the origin and production of seafood.

UNSW scientists lead hydraulic aspects of Blue Carbon Method

UNSW’s Associate Professor Will Glamore, Dr Valentin Heimhuber and Jamie Ruprecht of the UNSW Water Research Laboratory lead the hydrologic aspects of the Commonwealth Clean Energy Regulator’s ‘Blue Carbon Method’.

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Living Seawalls

The Living Seawalls project aims to investigate methods to enhance the ecological value of artificial structures in the marine environment such as seawalls and pilings.

What started as a flagship program of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science is now being trialled in in harbours across Australia, in Asia and Europe.

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Centres, institutes and partnerships

UNSW Global Water Institute

A world leader in water research, innovation and problem solving, the GWI draws on water expertise across UNSW to create the nation’s most advanced water knowledge hub.

UNSW Centre for Marine Science and Innovation

The CMSI's expertise and research covers a multidisciplinary mix of ecological and biological sciences, physical and biological oceanography, environmental impact assessment, as well as coastal geomorphology and engineering.

UNSW Water Research Laboratory

Providing research and advice to industry and local government on water matters for over 50 years in areas of the coast, estuaries, inland waterways, wetlands, groundwater & portable water.

Sydney Institute of Marine Science

UNSW is a founding member of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS). SIMS conducts multidisciplinary marine research on impacts of climate change and urbanisation, eco-engineering and habitat restoration, ocean resources and technologies, and outcomes of marine management approaches.

Gamay Rangers partnership

Experts from UNSW partnered with Gamay Rangers from the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council for a hands-on knowledge-share course covering marine botany, zoology, ecology and experimental design. It included a mixture of interactive lectures, field practicals and laboratory sessions.

Global Ocean Accounts Partnership

The UK government announced an initial $1.8 million contribution to the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership, coordinated by UNSW Sydney. This round of funded projects will increase marine protection, tackle plastic pollution and the decline of global coral reefs.

Artificial Reefs

With specifically designed reef fields costing approx $1 million, the question is not do they work, but do they work too well? Prof Tracy Rogers speaks to special guest, Prof Iain Suthers about production vs attraction and lots more.

Warming waters & turtles

Prof Tracey Rogers explains some of the challenges facing marine turtles including sex skewing. The sex of marine turtles depends on what the temperature was when they were eggs, so will global warming mean too many females?

Justice for the Oceans

Globally-renowned ocean defender Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is clear: saving the oceans is key to fighting the climate crisis. Listen to this conversation between Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and leading Australian marine scientist Emma Johnston.

Master of Marine Science and Management

This masters course offered by UNSW in partnership with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, educates students about coastal management and engineering, climate change, marine ecology and conservation, marine legislation, physical oceanography, and data analysis and modelling.

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SciX@UNSW

More than 170 high school students took part in a research project identifying where rocky shore species live, and why, in the Sydney area. The students learned about the SDGs from a panel of UNSW experts working on innovations translating science research into accessible sustainable solutions. Students were encouraged to place sustainability at the heart of their research now and into the future.

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UNSW Strategy in Action 2025

UNSW 2025 Strategy Update

Celebrating key achievements of the first phase of the 2025 Strategy and updating the framework for new strategic initiatives over the next five years.

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UNSW Environmental Sustainability Plan

Building on our history of environmental stewardship across research, learning & teaching and campus operations, this plan raises our ambitions to meet the environmental challenges of today.

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UNSW 2024 Supplier Charter

The updated charter reinforces our commitment to ethical, sustainable and socially responsible procurement, introducing enhanced conduct standards reflecting our core values and strategic priorities.

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UNSW Sustainable Development Goals 2023 Report

This report outlines UNSW's performance against the SDGs in 2023.

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SDG 14: Life Below Water