Burrows, Damien, Purandare, Jemma, Bay, Line, Cook, Nathan, Koopman, Danielle, Long, Suzanne, Lundgren, Petra, Mead, David, Morris, Sheriden, Newlands, Maxine, Roth, Christian, Wachenfeld, David, Smith, Adam K., and McLeod, Ian M. (2019) Symposium report: Great Barrier Reef restoration symposium, 2018. Ecological Management and Restoration, 20 (2). pp. 175-178.

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Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR), located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is a UNESCO1 World Heritage site, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the world’s largest living structure. Spanning 2300 km, it has more than 450 species of corals, 1600 types of fish, and is one of the world’s unique and most biodiverse environments (AIMS 2018). It is estimated that the GBR supports more than 64,000 jobs and contributes more than AU $6.4B/yr to the Australian economy (Deloitte 2017). However, the unprecedented back-to-back bleaching events of 2016 and 2017 led to widespread mortality of shallow water corals (Hughes et al. 2018). While the Great Barrier Reef is still resilient, the projected increase in sea temperatures, forecasts for more frequent coral bleaching, continued outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and increasing intensity and frequency of cyclones puts the Great Barrier Reef’s future recovery at high risk. With the relatively recent recognition of a need for urgent activity around GBR coral restoration, the low information base from which we were operating, and the recognised need to learn from the international community on best practice restoration, the first Great Barrier Reef Restoration Symposium (the symposium) was initiated. The symposium brought together restoration practitioners, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, NGOs and industry partners to share experiences, insights and ideas about what worked, what did not, and the knowledge gaps that needed filling in order to help the GBR. The symposium was a collaborative effort between the Tropical Water Quality Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program, the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program and the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators. Additional partners included James Cook University, Reef Ecologic and the Reef Restoration Foundation.

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