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Project 1.1.2 - Condition and trend of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem: Indicators, thresholds of potential concern, and ecological influence of the Great Barrier Reef Zoning Plan on mid and outer shelf reefs

Project Leaders and Host Organisations

Dr Hugh Sweatman (Australian Institute of Marine Science)
Dr Marie-Lise Schläppy (Reef Check Australia)

Project Description and Objectives

For detailed descriptions of the outputs for this project for Year 4 (2009/2010) of the MTSRF Research Programme, see the Annual Research Plan.

In 2009/2010 this project will measure the influence of the Great Barrier Reef Zoning Plan (2003) upon reef biodiversity.

The project will provide an early warning of any new wave of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks to allow the GBR tourism industry to prepare tactical responses. 

The project will also deliver regular reports on the broad-scale status and relative health of coral reefs in the GBR including information about regional and global resilience to natural disturbances (e.g. cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish, coral disease and coral bleaching). These reports of condition and response will be linked with research in other MTSRF Programs, notably those for water quality and climate change, and will feed into the Integrated Reporting processes for the MTSRF and support community-based monitoring of tourism intensive sites in order to foster the concept of local environmental stewardship.

Key objectives of Project 1.1.2 include:

  • Surveys of coral reef health including the development of indicators and thresholds of concern for reef health (AIMS);

  • Broad-scale surveys to examine the influence of the GBR Zoning Plan (2003) upon coral reef biodiversity (AIMS);

  • Surveys for crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) in the region of outbreak initiation – early warning of new outbreaks of starfish (AIMS); and

  • Community monitoring of GBR coral reefs (RCA).

Further Information

Dr David Souter
GBR Program Research Manager
Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited
Tel: (07) 4781 6013


Major Project Outputs

The Annual Research Plans, or ARPs, outline the specific tasks, products, budgets and staff for each research project within each of the Research Themes and Programs of the MTSRF.  The ARPs also outline the key deliverables, or 'project milestones' (e.g. major reports, journal articles, communications products) to be achieved.

An ARP is developed for each operating year of the MTSRF (2006-2010).

Details of this and previous years' outputs from this project are included in each of the Annual Research Plans

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