Research Project
Researchers:
Associate Professor Tina Skinner
(collaborator)
,
Associate Professor Tina Skinner
(collaborator)
,
Beeden, Roger
(collaborator)
,
Cameron Fletcher
(Point of contact, principalInvestigator)
,
Clothilde Langlais
(collaborator)
View all 17 related researchers
Full description This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project ' Innovations To Support Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish Control and the Resilience of the Great Barrier Reef'. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) faces increasing threats from climate-induced mass bleaching, cyclones, and Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (COTS). To maximise the GBR’s capacity to respond to these threats, it is vital to maintain coral cover and target management actions at the locations that best support the resilience of the GBR. Of the major threats to the GBR, only COTS can currently be directly managed. Australia’s COTS control program has already acted to reduce coral mortality at over 450 reefs. This project will develop innovations that increase the efficiency of COTS control, enabling protection of more reefs and more coral.
To maximise the resilience of the GBR, we must target protection to networks of reefs that can function together to rapidly recover from disturbance. This project will build our understanding of the factors and locations that support the resilience of the GBR. The research will be closely partnered to deliver directly to research-users in the COTS Control Program and the Reef Authority. The innovations developed will progress the adaptive management of the resilience of Australia’s marine ecosystems.
Planned Outputs
• Statistical analysis data
• Scooter Assisted Large Area Diver-based (SALAD)
• Coral larval dispersal data
• Thermal refugia and risk exposure maps
• GBR ecological model COTS strategy outputs
• Final technical report with analysed data and summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]
Lineage Maintenance and Update Frequency: asNeeded
Lineage
Notes
Credit
The data collections described in this record are funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy & Water (DCCEEW) through the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub. In addition to NESP (DCCEEW) funding, this project is matched by an equivalent amount of in-kind support and co-investment from project partners and collaborators.
Data time period: 2025-02-01 to 2026-11-20
- global : aa6e25e3-2d38-4296-a9eb-77317b71b74e