Goal 14 - Life Below Water

Goal 14 - Life Below Water

RMIT University is committed to making a measurable impact on sustainable management of our oceans and seas.

RMIT contributes to the protection and sustainable management of oceans, waterways and coastal environments through research and partnerships that address marine and aquatic challenges. 

The University supports initiatives focused on water quality, aquatic pollution, coastal resilience, ecosystem conservation and climate adaptation. 

By bringing together researchers, communities and industry partners, RMIT helps generate knowledge and solutions that support healthier marine and freshwater environments.

Highlights of recent SDG 14 aligned activity are included below, with more information available in our 2025 Sustainability Annual Report (PDF 13 MB), with our 11 years of reporting progress outlined on the Sustainability Annual Report webpage.

Broader sustainability contributions are also highlighted in our organisational Annual Report, which are tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

2025 Case Studies

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The COASTSCAPES project is helping communities understand and respond to environmental pressures affecting coastal and estuarine ecosystems. 

Working across sites in Spain and Australia, the project investigates aquatic pollution and develops nature-based approaches that strengthen ecological resilience and environmental management. 

Through global collaboration, RMIT is helping improve understanding and protection of marine and coastal systems.

RMIT researchers partnered with the Yirrganydji Traditional Custodians, the Blue Carbon Lab and Cairns Airport to study mangrove ecosystems along the Barron River in Far North Queensland. 

The research found that 300 hectares of mangroves capture more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon annually, highlighting the critical role healthy coastal ecosystems play in climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. 

The project demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge, science and industry can work together to protect coastal environments.

In 2025, RMIT hosted a screening of White Rock: ORCA at The Capitol Theatre as part of the Ocean Research Climate Action (ORCA) initiative. 

Bringing together students, staff and the broader community, the event explored themes of ocean conservation, climate change and the relationship between people and marine ecosystems. 

Through public engagement and dialogue, RMIT is helping build awareness of the challenges facing oceans and the need for collective action to protect them.

2024 Case Studies

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Aussie researchers have developed a method to identify plastic on beaches, successfully tested on a remote coastline. RMIT University scientists created a satellite imagery tool that distinguishes light reflection differences between sand, water, and plastics, enabling detection from over 600 km above. Previously, satellite technology struggled to identify beach plastics due to their blending with sand. This advancement, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, facilitates easier clean-up operations.

The Beached Plastic Debris Index (BPDI) uses a spectral index to analyse light patterns captured by the WorldView-3 satellite, specifically mapping beach plastics. This aids in directing clean-up efforts on remote shores.

Dr Jenna Guffogg, the study’s lead author, highlights the severe impact of beach plastic on wildlife and habitats. Her research, conducted at RMIT and the University of Twente, was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship, with satellite imagery accessed through DigitalGlobe.

November 2023, the A3P Partnership between RMIT University and Melbourne Water was formally renewed for a further five years (2023-2028), following a highly positive external review in 2022.

The renewal reinforces a research-practice model that blends applied investigations into pollutants in urban and rural waterways with real-time knowledge exchange, secondments and student involvement. RMIT University Focus areas include stormwater wetlands' performance, litter and microplastics, industrial catchment pollutants and the health of estuaries and bays.

Crucially, the renewed Partnership aligns with SDG 14 targets by helping to prevent and reduce aquatic pollution and by increasing scientific knowledge, building research capacity and transferring marine-related technology and methods. The design ensures the findings feed directly into Melbourne Water’s policy and practice, supporting long-term waterway health.

RMIT University researchers at our Water: Effective Technologies and Tools (WETT) Research Centre have uncovered alarming levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in Victoria’s critically endangered Burrunan dolphins, revealing the highest concentrations ever recorded in dolphins worldwide.

Conducted in partnership with the Marine Mammal Foundation and the University of Melbourne, the study found PFAS levels up to 19,500 nanograms per gram in liver tissue, more than ten times the threshold for liver toxicity. These “forever chemicals,” commonly used in household and industrial products, accumulate in marine food webs, threatening dolphin health and ecosystem stability.

The research underscores the urgent need to identify pollution sources and strengthen chemical management and conservation policies. By illuminating the impact of human-made pollutants on marine species, RMIT’s work directly supports SDG 14: Life Below Water, helping to safeguard biodiversity, reduce ocean contamination, and protect vulnerable marine populations from extinction.

SDG Alignment Mapping Overview

As reported in the 2025 Sustainability Annual Report, there were 31 course units and 102 research projects aligned with SDG 14 in 2025, representing a wide range of initiatives related to life below water. 

Other SDG alignment insights are captured in the data below.

31 Course Units

102 Research Projects

9 International Research Partnerships

68 Publications

  RMIT Global Average
Publications in Top 25% Journal Percentiles by SIR (%) 92.1 66.4
Citations per Publication 4.1 2.4
Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) 1.8 51%
National Contribution (%) 3.4% N/A
International Collaboration  58.8 29.3
Developing Country Collaboration (%) 51% N/A
Low to Lower-Middle Income Country Collaboration (%) 24% N/A

Research Projects and Initiatives Over the Years

The following research projects have been specifically aligned to Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the aim to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. These projects and initiatives are examples of the University’s contribution to the SDGs over the years.

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Evaluating interactions of beachgoers and their dogs with local wildlife in Philip Island

Phillip Island Nature Parks (PINP) are currently pursuing a number of interventions and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing conflicts and harmful interactions between off-leash dogs and local wildlife on PINP-managed beaches.

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Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership

The aims of this research partnership between Melbourne Water and RMIT University is to help prevent aquatic pollution.

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The Litter Trackers: Reducing Littering by Education

Most litter that ends up in Port Phillip Bay comes from the catchments. Education is an integral tool for achieving long-term change in community behaviors and reducing litter in waterways and the Bay.

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Monitoring for Marine Pests in the Gippsland Lakes

This project investigates thresholds at which invasive species can be managed (eradication control), provide strategies for management of these species, providing early detection as to what species may cause potential impacts to the ecology of the Gippsland Lakes (range expansion).

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples