A worldwide, unprecedented research and tourism partnership has expanded to the Whitsundays, launching the Coral Nurture Program to help local reefs recover with a plan for long-term Reef stewardship.
Initially pioneered in the northern Great Barrier Reef, Cairns-Port Douglas region, the program has now dived into the Whitsundays thanks to a partnership between University of Technology Sydney and local tourism operators.
Successfully completing its first mission to establish new coral nurseries in Whitsunday reefs, the program saw the planting of more than 1600 healthy corals at three locations.
Through the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative, the ‘Whitsundays Coral Nurture Program’ is bringing “unique Coralclip technology to three new sites in the region – an innovative device that allows corals to be planted roughly 10 times faster than before.”
Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said the Whitsunday project builds on the success of its first iteration’s early days in Cairns and Port Douglas – particularly its partnership with tourism operators.
“Bringing together science and tourism is key to this project’s success,” Ms Marsden said.
“By combining the knowledge of our marine science experts with the experience and resources of the tourism operators who are out on the Reef every day, we can accelerate the natural recovery of local reefs at a greater scale and faster than we’ve seen before.”
Ms Marsden said the Whitsundays Coral Nurture Program aims to assist the recovery of three ecologically and economically important reefs through use of the unique Coralclip technology – a Queensland invention.
“[The clips are] a game-changer for coral restoration at this local level because it offers a fast and cost-effective solution to out-planting corals at larger scales,” she said.
The first Coral Nurture Program has achieved outstanding results in north Queensland with over 75,000 corals planted to date.
Ms Marsden said the program hopes to create a legacy through tourism operators and the local community.
University of Technology Sydney lead researcher Professor David Suggett and Coralclip inventor, Wavelength tourism operator John Edmondson, travelled to the Whitsundays to train local tourism operators in the Program’s technique.
“We worked with three Whitsunday tourism operators – Red Cat Adventures, Kiana Sail and Dive, and Ocean Rafting – to showcase how our innovative approach works and provide the skills to take the lead in rebuilding coral reefs at the sites they frequently visit,” Professor Suggett said.
“The beauty of the Coral Nurture Program is that it’s community-led and science-backed.”
Tourism operators will act as stewards on the front line, working to grow and plant the corals and then check back in regularly on their health, according to Professor Suggett, with those results being independently and scientifically validated for their positive impact.
Tourism operators will head back to the coral nurseries in November to check and report on progress.
A new Coral Nurture Program has arrived in the Whitsundays
Image: Great Barrier Reef Foundation
