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 Leader: Dr Hugh Sweatman, Australian Institute of
Marine Science
Project 1.1.2 will deliver regular reports on the broad-scale
status and relative health of coral reefs in the Great Barrier
Reef, 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 Report Card (see Theme 5). The
Project will develop an early warning system for crown-of-thorns
starfish (COTS) to allow the industry to prepare tactical
responses. The Project will also measure the influence of the
Great
Barrier Reef Zoning Plan (2003) upon reef biodiversity and
support community-based monitoring of tourism intensive sites in
order to foster the concept of local environmental stewardship.
Key objectives of the Project include:
-
Broad-scale surveys of coral reef health including development
of indicators and thresholds of concern for reef health and COTs
Alert – early warning of a fourth wave of starfish
outbreaks;
-
Impact of the Great Barrier Reef Zoning Plan (2003) upon coral
reef biodiversity; and
-
Community monitoring of coral reefs of the Great Barrier
Reef.
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