‘A feeding place, breeding place and nursing place’: Why a marine biologist is intent on saving hidden haven

Dive into parts of Singapore’s waters and you will find teeming marine life, from dugongs and critically endangered hawksbill turtles to more than 250 species of corals, representing about a third of those in the world. While Singapore is small, it hosts a remarkably diverse array of biodiversity, contributing to aquatic ecosystems.

In Western Australia, the Exmouth Gulf serves a similar role for the more famous Ningaloo Coast, a Unesco World Heritage Site that is home to one of the globe’s longest near-shore coral reefs. 

The survival of this coast, however, depends on the gulf, also dubbed “Ningaloo’s Nursery”, as it provides a shelter for the young of many of the area’s endangered species.

For example, the gulf is a safe haven for humpback whales nursing their young. It has enabled the population there to grow from 300 to over 30,000, after Australia banned whaling in 1978.

Australian marine biologist Ben Fitzpatrick, who is working to show the gulf and coast’s ecological connections and protect them as one, marvels: “You can see the humpback whales as far as the horizon.”

Furthermore, Exmouth Gulf’s diverse habitats range from nutrient-rich salt flats and seagrass beds to macro-algal reefs, hard corals and filter-feeder seabeds, all supporting a rich variety of marine life.

Since 2014, Rolex has partnered with non-profit Mission Blue, as part of the Swiss watchmaker’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, to shield ecologically crucial areas of oceans by designating them as Hope Spots to encourage their legal protection. 

Mr Fitzpatrick, 48, applied for Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Coast to become a Hope Spot, and in 2019, legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue’s founder, welcomed it into the network.

Now, as a Mission Blue Hope Spot Champion, he is spearheading efforts to achieve recognition of the gulf’s critical links to the coast, to strengthen the case for its preservation. Though Unesco safeguards the Ningaloo Coast, Exmouth Gulf has often been overlooked, leaving it vulnerable to industrial intrusion.

Mr Fitzpatrick recently spearheaded a scientific expedition to Exmouth Gulf, where his team ventured into this largely uncharted territory to document the gulf’s rich biodiversity and its vital links to the coast. By gathering hard data, they aim to build a compelling case for the gulf’s conservation.

He says: “Most of the time, the gulf is often quite murky and inaccessible, so people don’t realise that below the surface are some of the most incredible and unique marine ecosystems on the planet. It needs protection. The environment speaks for itself, and all I’m doing is providing a voice.”

Diving into uncharted waters for conservation 

Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Coast have fascinated Mr Fitzpatrick since he was six. “My grandfather used to go there all the time and come back with all these stories about whale sharks, dugongs and spawning corals,” he says. 

He was so captivated that he studied to become a marine scientist, and later founded conservation organisation Oceanwise Australia in 1998.

He visited the coast for the first time in 1996, on a dive trip. “It was just so vibrant that I knew I had to push to get it protected. We surveyed Ningaloo Reef’s species, wrote up a report and got it protected as an Australian sanctuary zone (a conservation area) in 1998. I was 23 years old.” This predated Ningaloo Coast’s Unesco designation, which took place in 2011. 

Since then, he has forged ahead with a single-minded passion. He shares: “The work that we have been doing for some time, and at this point, with help from Mission Blue and Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, has been to earn protection for Exmouth Gulf as well, because the gulf and the coast should all be recognised as one.”

Why Australia’s Exmouth Gulf is a biodiversity hotspot

While Exmouth Gulf’s remoteness at Australia’s north-western tip – to the right of Ningaloo Coast – has so far aided in sparing it from development, permitting its biodiversity to flourish, the inaccessibility has stymied in-depth surveys. With support from Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, Mr Fitzpatrick’s Oceanwise team explored some of the harder-to-reach places.

Using sonar, the team undertook side-scan surveys of isolated shoals and submerged reefs. It also performed photographic surveys at particular spots and listed marine species. Above the water, Mr Fitzpatrick and his colleagues commandeered drones to map habitats and tally the larger marine fauna relying on the gulf.

“We’re counting fish, nudibranchs (a type of marine mollusc), corals and more. There’s a lot of very useful new information,” he highlights. Part of his scientific quest is to determine and chart the gulf’s different habitats, establish their important environmental values, and demonstrate the ecological significance of specific areas. 

His research has only reinforced his appreciation of the gulf’s many roles for marine life. He elaborates: “It’s a feeding place, breeding place and nursing place. It’s pretty amazing. It’s a place that needs Unesco World Heritage protection. It’s globally unique, and it’s one of the last opportunities to protect this type of marine ecosystem.”

A model of protection for other pristine areas

Progress is underway. In 2021, the government of Western Australia committed to creating a marine park, managed by the authorities to help conserve marine biodiversity, in the gulf’s eastern and southern portions. Mr Fitzpatrick is also optimistic that the gulf will be an example of what can be accomplished in other pristine areas deserving of protection. 

“It provides a lot of hope, particularly in the context of climate change, when there’s a lot of gloom and doom. It’s really nice to be able to celebrate the positive and have some wins,” he says. 

He credits Mission Blue, founded and helmed by Rolex Testimonee Earle, and Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative for empowering scientists and conservationists like himself.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers pushing the boundaries of human endeavour. It has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet, committing for the long term to assist individuals and organisations using science to understand and devise solutions to today’s environment challenges. 

In 2019, Rolex honed this engagement with its Perpetual Planet Initiative, which initially focused on the Rolex Awards for Enterprise as well as longstanding partnerships with Mission Blue and the National Geographic Society. 

Today, the Initiative boasts a diverse portfolio of over 30 partnerships dedicated to ocean conservation, wilderness protection and biodiversity preservation. Its collaborators span the globe, from Rewilding Argentina and Rewilding Chile to Under The Pole’s underwater expeditions and numerous Rolex Award for Enterprise Laureates.

Rolex further nurtures future generations of explorers, scientists and conservationists through targeted scholarships and grants. The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society and Rolex Explorers Club grants showcase this dedication to nurturing emerging talent in environmental stewardship.

For Mr Fitzpatrick, the work continues. As he puts it: “Creating a representative marine park containing Exmouth Gulf’s arid mangrove forests, humpback whales, dugongs, turtles, sea snakes, seabirds, mantas, sharks and rays, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms unique to this part of the world, is vital to conservation. 

“The environment speaks for itself. Mission Blue has helped me amplify that voice. Getting Ningaloo and Exmouth Gulf protected provides a lot of hope for similar places.”

We The Earth