Explore the hidden marvel of the Great Southern Reef, an expansive kelp forest ecosystem along Australia’s southern coastline. Despite its grandeur, few are aware of its existence. This fragile reef is home to a community of fishers, scientists, surfers, divers, educators, and artists who serve as guardians of their local environment. Rooted in indigenous Australian culture, their connection to the land and sea has fostered generations of harmonious living. However, as first-hand witnesses to alarming environmental changes, they now confront the urgent impact of climate change on this delicate ecosystem. Join their fight to prevent irreversible consequences for biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal economies, as warming oceans threaten the very survival of the Great Southern Reef.
Stefan is lead underwater videographer at Ocean Imaging and has been directing and editing underwater films since 2012. Stefan is also a Marine Biologist (BSc, Hons.) and high school teacher with over a decade of diving experience on the Great Southern Reef.
Stefan’s most recent film ‘Cabo Pulmo: A Message to the World’ covers a fishing village in Mexico which self-imposed a total fishing closure and established a marine protected area in 1997. Cabo Pulmo is now among the most successful examples of marine conservation globally, and researchers attribute this success to the locals stewardship. The film explores the difficulties that the local community faced in establishing, enforcing, and sustaining the integrity of the marine park, and how they are managing new stresses from growing eco-tourism.
