Reef resilience projects at Cairns’ Moore Reef; a small scale start towards better stewardship Media Release, 12 August 2020 IN an innovative joint stewardship initiative, dedicated coral scientists, Traditional Owners, marine tourism operators and Cairns community groups are this week joining together to work on a range of reef-recovery and restoration projects designed to help […]
IMOS glider data shows that reduction in vertical mixing exacerbated heat stress for Great Barrier Reef corals during the 2020 bleaching event IMOS Marine Matters, Issue 34, July 2020 Written by Chari Pattiaratchi (UWA), Dennis Stanley (UWA) and Suzanne Long (Reef & Rainforest Research Centre) From mid-November 2019 to late March 2020, IMOS ocean gliders […]
Joint Media Release: Crown of Thorns Starfish control secured 13 July 2020 The Hon Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment The Hon Warren Entsch MP, Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef Contracts worth $28.6 million have been awarded to help win the race against coral-eating Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) on the Great […]
RRRC Annual Highlights 2018-2019 If you want to find out what’s been going on at the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre over the past year, the RRRC Annual Highlights report for 2018-2019 is now available to view and can be found here.
Indigenous rangers trained in managing mangroves on their country Healthy mangrove forests play a vital role to maintaining the quality of water flowing out to the Great Barrier Reef, and Traditional Owners have a strong interest in helping monitor and manage their land and sea country. A Traditional Owner ranger group based in Bundaberg near […]
RRRC Annual Highlights 2017-2018 Want to know what’s been going on at the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre? The RRRC Annual Highlights report for 2017-2018 has been published and can be found here.
First published in The Cairns Post, Friday 7th June 2019 A BOLD new plan for water quality in the Russell River has been unveiled – and itʼs causing plenty of debate. At the Babinda RSL Hall on May 30, the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre hosted a meeting to discuss the Russell Catchment Sustainability Plan, […]
An excellent story from Papua New Guinea’s foremost paper The Post-Courier. Detailing the Building Resilience in the Treaty Villages Program, which is administered by the RRRC. The program is achieving major positive humanitarian outcomes in the Treaty Villages on PNG’s southern border: https://postcourier.com.pg/ranger-program-builds-resilience-torres-strait-treaty-villages/
In a step forward for Great Barrier Reef water quality, scientists and Far North Queensland cane growers will come together to discuss the latest innovations in nitrogen-based fertilizer management to protect both Great Barrier Reef and the sustainability of the sugar cane industry. Excess nitrogen in water flowing out from the Queensland coast can significantly […]
Two rangers from the Building Resilience in the Treaty Villages (BRTV) program in Papua New Guinea’s southern coastal villages have travelled to Australia to share and gain knowledge at a forum for indigenous rangers. The Indigenous Rangers Forum, held in Burketown over 4-6 September, brought together representatives of 72 indigenous ranger groups from all over […]
There are significant signs of recovery for corals affected by mass coral bleaching on the GBR. A milder 2017-2018 summer aided by science, industry and government is supporting the recovery of the GBR in many locations. Reefs around the world bleached in 2016 and 2017 and whilst the northern part of the GBR experienced some […]
The Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC), a Cairns-based environmental NGO, has welcomed the announcement of $500 million for Great Barrier Reef protection from the Australian Government in the 2018 Budget. It’s now time to invest in resilience and restoration strategies for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as climate change and other health impacts continue […]
Crown of Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster spp) feed on coral polyps and have been occurring in outbreaks off the coast of north Queensland since the 1960s, with the species responsible for up to 25 per cent of live coral cover loss on the Great Barrier Reef up until mass bleaching events in 2012. The Australian government’s […]
Preparations for a world-first combination of Queensland’s best science and engineering expertise to defend parts of the Great Barrier Reef from climate change will begin this summer, thanks to $2.2 million in funding from the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. Read more
A ship dedicated to countering a serious threat to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the tourism economy it supports will be heading back out to sea after a two-week refit. Read more
The latest class of divers trained to control outbreaks of the coral-eating Crown of Thorns Starfish will be entering the workforce with an arsenal of specialized skills after graduating at a ceremony in Cairns today. Read more
Northern Australia shipping company Sea Swift has teamed up with local organisation RRRC Connect to help donate 52 Rescue Swags to help a poverty-stricken region in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Read more
The Cairns Aquarium has received a long-awaited funding boost with the announcement of a combined $2 million grant from the Federal Government and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre. Read more
Cairns Aquarium is in line for about $2 million funding for a research centre. The centre could evolve into a new outpost of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Read more
A Cairns non-government humanitarian organisation is reaching out to the Queensland community to help supply a locally-designed ‘smart first aid kit’ to impoverished communities on Papua New Guinea’s borderlands with Australia. Read more
A crack team of Cairns tourism-industry divers will be helping put the Whitsunday Islands’ coral reefs back together again in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Read more
Every year, major rainfalls in FNQ turn the Barron River and other major watercourses a bright shade of ochre. They pick up mud and silt on their way to the ocean. This year, scientists and farmers are keeping a closer eye on the sediment-filled waters and their effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
Marine managers, scientists and the tourism industry will boost efforts to protect the health of the Great Barrier Reef. They will look to cull coral eating COTS over the next three years. Read more
The Australian Government is strengthening its support for the PNG Treaty villages located less than 5km from Australia’s northernmost point. Read more
Queensland’s marine tourism industry is breathing a sigh of relief. The latest scientific assessment of coral recovery from the Great Barrier Reef’s worst ever bleaching event is positive. Read more
As the first of David Attenborough’s TV program on the Great Barrier Reef aired last night, an Aboriginal art book by a Cairns artist and author, Munganbana Norman Miller, and Adelaide based RenBro Publishing, is the proud recipient of a Bronze Medal from the internationally prestigious and globally recognized Independent Publisher Book Awards – IPPY […]
NERP TE Hub Project 4.1 Katharina Fabricius’s paper “Changes in water clarity in response to river discharges on the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf: 2002–2013” is now available online here as open access. Highlights The 344,000 km2 Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is located on a shallow continental shelf. We show wide-spread, long-lasting losses in GBR […]
New technologies and techniques have allowed control divers to remove 400,000 Crown of Thorns Starfish from the Great Barrier Reef and protect the $7 billion tourism industry dependent on it. Read more
THE funny side of tourism will be within the scope of a new research centre dedicated to improving the industry. CQUniversity officially opened its new Centre for Tourism and Regional Opportunities at its Cairns campus. Read more
Severe drought is pushing communities to breaking point on Australi…….a’s borderlands however the tropical expertise of organisations based in Cairns are helping communities in this region develop. Read more
As the 30th Anniversary of the Australian and PNG Torres Strait Treaty is celebrated, an Australian-funded development aid program in Papua New Guinea’s south is producing real results, with compelling human stories emerging from the program. Read more
Outbreaks of Crown Of Thorns Starfish (COTS) have been identified as one of top three threats to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the $5 billion tourism industry it supports. Read more
It’s going to take the reinvention of 10,000 farms to improve water quality and repair the Great Barrier Reef, and there’s new evidence that sediment from farms producing Australia’s favourite fruit—bananas—is a growing part of the problem. The bold plan to fix the reef will cost billions but is already facing funding cuts. Gregg Borschmann […]
The excruciating pain inflicted by a box jellyfish sting can really ruin a swim in the warm waters of tropical far north Queensland and it’s notoriously difficult to predict where swarms of the venomous marine organisms might suddenly appear. Read more
The original drafting of the Great Barrier Reef Aquaculture Regulations, did what they were meant to do protect the Great Barrier Reef and the biosecurity for the aquaculture industry. As the then-Director for Water Quality at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, it was my job to draft these Regulations. Read more
The original drafting of the Great Barrier Reef Aquaculture Regulations, did what they were meant to do protect the Great Barrier Reef and the biosecurity for the aquaculture industry. As the then-Director for Water Quality at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, it was my job to draft these Regulations. Read more
A federally-funded training program has helped boost youth employment in Cairns and protect the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) simultaneously, with a group of young locals receiving Certificate III’s in Tourism and Occupational Diving and also culling the coral eating Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) at the same time. Read more
The health of the Great Barrier Reef is more important to residents and tourists than its recreational or commercial uses, according to new research. Read more
The Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC) is welcoming the announcement of $7 million to control populations of the coraleating Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) on the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
QUEENSLAND’S cyclone-battered Great Barrier Reef is showing good signs of regrowth and new coral colonies as the Environment Minister urged tourists to put a visit to the natural wonder on a “bucket list’’. The largest post-cyclone assessment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — a 600km-long stretch of reef — found up to a […]
The crown of thorns starfish which has devastated large areas of the Great Barrier Reef has infested areas around the Montebello Islands off the Pilbara coast. Surveys going back to the mid-1970s have shown the existence of the marine invertebrates in the reefs off the Pilbara coastline. However, the numbers being currently observed are much […]
A large-scale search for an invasive pest species of ant is underway in dense rainforest in far north Queensland. Read more
Illegal poachers of dugongs and turtles in far north Queensland are about to face tougher penalties, as the Federal Government announces new measures to protect threatened species. Read more
Rising sea temperatures have been found by scientists to improve the survival rate of the coral-eating crown-of-thorn starfish in findings that are likely to stoke fears about the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
Four specially crafted boats are heading from Australia’s north-east coast to Papua New Guinea as part of a program to help stop the spread of tuberculosis in the country. Read more
Four specially crafted boats are heading from Australia’s North-East coast to Papua New Guinea to stop the spread of Tuberculosis. Read and listen to more
FOUR specially crafted boats are Papua New Guinea-bound to bolster a Federal Government bid to tackle a tuberculosis epidemic before it crosses borders and wreaks havoc on the Far North. Read more
THE Australian Government is investing more than $31 million over six years for research into tropical water quality through the National Environmental Science Programme. Read more
WHITSUNDAY tourism operators have welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of more than $31 million over six years for research into tropical water quality through the National Environmental Science Program. Read more
CQUNIVERSITY will share in $31 million funding to investigate water quality in the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
THE Australian Government is investing more than $31 million over six years for research into tropical water quality through the National Environmental Science Programme. Read more
A Queensland researcher says Federal Government funding will enable studies into water quality in the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
THE Australian Government is investing more than $31 million over six years for research into tropical water quality through the National Environmental Science Programme. Read more
A $31 MILLION tropical water quality research program is to be based in Cairns. Read more
Beau-Vallon — Increasing levels of human development in Seychelles coupled with rising sea temperatures have caused an outbreak of venomous starfish that feed on delicate coral reefs, and unless concerted action is taken soon, a large number of reefs within the inner granitic islands of the archipelago could be entirely lost. Read more
A new world-class research centre and observatory focusing on the Daintree Rainforest has been opened today. The Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said the Daintree Rainforest Observatory was built with $9.7 million from the Australian Government and that it will build on the work already done by James Cook University’s (JCU) Australian Canopy Crane Research […]
More than 100,000 beautiful images of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been released to the public. The photos include species living on the reef, 360 degree panoramas and map the reef from 32 different locations. Read more
A decision by G20 leaders to discuss climate change at their meeting in Brisbane this week is good news for the Great Barrier Reef, researchers say. The University of Queensland’s Dr Juan Ortiz, lead author on a study of the reef released today, said the research was the most detailed to date and the first […]
A LEADING scientist has backed dive operators’ tough “two spikes and you’re out” rule when dealing with crown of thorns starfish, saying it is better to be safe than sorry. The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators has introduced a new policy for its divers trying to eliminate the coral-devouring creatures from the Great Barrier […]
Don’t forget that the NERP TE Hub Conference is to be held on the 5th-7th November 2014 at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns. Click here for more details.
DIVERS trying to eliminate crown-of-thorns starfish from the Great Barrier Reef will be sacked if they get twice stung by the animals’ venomous spines. The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators has implemented the tough new “two spikes and you’re out” policy after workplace, health and safety concerns about the venomous creatures. Read more
REEF fish stocks may face less predatory pressure after scientists found a small species of shark doesn’t have to eat more to cope with the carbon dioxide levels predicted for the end of the century. Read more
Researchers are trying to solve the mystery of what caused the mass strandings and deaths of green turtles in Queensland’s far north two years ago They are tagging hundreds of turtles along the Great Barrier Reef as part of a project to try and prevent more deaths. Read more
Checking insect traps, collecting scientific data and processing international arrivals to ensure they’re not carrying pests or disease that would threaten Australia’s agricultural, is all in a day’s work for Gadu Banu. Read more
Tests have confirmed the first Australian transmission of a virulent form of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Two weeks ago a Torres Strait islander woman died in Cairns from a mutant strain that originates across the border from Papua New Guinea. Read more
SHERIDEN Morris has been at the forefront of efforts to manage human impacts on the Great Barrier Reef for nearly 30 years. When a Far Northern inshore reef system began to collapse, she worked with farmers on improving their practices and reducing run-off into reef catchments. Read more
The Federal Government is warning anyone involved in the illegal trade of dugong and turtle meat that they will be caught. The Government has allocated $5 million to a dugong and turtle protection plan that involves the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Customs and Border Protection, and the Australian Crime Commission. Read more
An insidious worm in the lungs of the cane toad has been found to kill a species of Australian frog. Read more
THE body heading the fight against the coral-devouring crown of thorns starfish has warned funding for the control program must continue if the battle is to be won. Divers have found starfish smaller than a 5¢ coin in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which indicates another wave of COTS is ready to invade. Read […]
Video footage of when the volcano erupts, click here.
A 10-YEAR study that involved thousands of underwater camera drops has found no-fishing zones are boosting shark numbers on the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
ABC Radio Australia’s Catherine Graue interviews Sheriden Morris to talk about the new pilot program in PNG’s Western Province. Click here to listen to the interview.
The Australian Government will provide $1.85 million to a two-year pilot program promoting economic and community development and disease prevention in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province. The program is the product of a new partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Cairns-based Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC). Read the full […]
Sunday the 7th of September is National Threatened Species Day. Events are been held all over Australia, click here to have a look what’s going on in Queensland.
Predicting the patterns of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks is the focus of a University of Queensland study that could be vital to protecting the Great Barrier Reef. Read more
DREDGING and dumping of spoil on the Great Barrier Reef faces a cap or ban after a decision hailed as a victory in the fight to protect our iconic underwater jewel. The long-awaited Senate Reef report tabled last night recommended a halt to dumping amid deep concerns about the rapidly declining health of the 2300km-long reef […]
THE battered Great Barrier Reef may yet face its most damaging issue — urban pollution from millions of people. It is forecast that urban pollution from runaway coastal population growth will explode as people move into the area, potentially doing more damage than much-maligned farming. Read more
Watch “Battle for the Reef” here
The IMO-adopted ship routeing measure to enhance the safety and efficiency of navigation and protect the region’s sensitive marine environment will come into effect at 0000 UTC on 1st December 2014. Read more
New efforts are underway to combat infestations of Crown of Thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef with the development of lethal bile injectors and integrated pest management plans. Read more