Reef Trust

15/06/2026

We know managing crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) is critical for protecting the Great Barrier Reef—but new research shows it’s also delivering real benefits for the economy and regional communities.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙?
Researchers from JCU: James Cook University, Australia partnered with Cairns-based operators as part of the COTS Control Innovation Program (CCIP). For the first time, they measured the regional economic impact of the COTS Control Program.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙?
In 2023-24, the $5.5m invested in the COTS Control Program generated a total economic benefit of $20m and supported around 61 jobs.

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩?
It shows environmental programs don’t just protect ecosystems—they create jobs, support regional economies, and deliver immediate returns, even before long-term reef recovery is realised.

The CCIP is funded by the partnership between the Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The COTS Control Program is led by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

📹 Australian Institute of Marine Science

12/06/2026

Supporting reef restoration efforts worldwide.🌏

Australia continues to collaborate with partner countries, sharing science and innovation to help address the challenges facing our reefs.

ReefSeed is a portable, self-sufficient coral aquaculture system that applies technologies developed under the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP).

It can be transported in sea containers to remote areas and is capable of producing millions of coral larvae to support reef restoration.

In 2025, ReefSeed was successfully trialed in the Maldives. With support from Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers, biologists from the Maldives Marine Research Institute fertilised and reared coral egg and s***m bundles into larvae within ReefSeed units. These larvae were then successfully settled and transferred onto reefs using specially designed ceramic devices.

This collaboration highlights the importance of partnerships supporting global reef restoration.

RRAP is funded through the partnership between the Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

📷 Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Naaish | AIMS, Crystle Wee

11/06/2026

Learn more about one of the great projects we’re funding through the Reefwise Wetlands Program 👇

𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗲𝗳!

Reef Catchments has been awarded $9.6 million through the Australian Government’s Reefwise Wetlands Program to deliver the Lagoon Creek Wetland Remediation Project in the Proserpine sub-catchment.

Working with Alluvium Consulting and local sugarcane landholders, we will deliver a 4.5 km treatment train of coordinated restoration works, including:
✔ 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐟𝐟
✔ 𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐬
✔ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝟏.𝟓 𝐤𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤
✔ 𝐖𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰
✔ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟔𝟎 𝐡𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬

These works will help reduce the pollutant loads reaching the Goorganga Plain and Repulse Bay, and support habitat for Critically Endangered migratory birds including the Eastern Curlew and Curlew Sandpiper.

Learn more: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0Z3gb0

This project received grant funding from the Reefwise Wetlands Grant Program - which is funded through the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.
Reef Trust & Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

08/06/2026

Seas the moment – it’s ! 🌊💙💚🩵

Did you know?

• More than half of Australia’s area is ocean.
• More than half of that is protected in marine parks.
• Together, Australia's marine parks cover an area more than 15 times the size of Italy. 🤯

This year's theme is strong marine protected areas for our blue planet.

Marine protected areas are a tool to help keep our ocean healthy. They:

• protect habitats and species (including those important for fisheries)
• conserve cultural and heritage values
• boost local economies
• support recreation and sport. 🤿

These precious places are managed by the Australian, state and territory governments. And their impact is growing:

• Nearly 25% of our ocean is already highly protected. We’re working towards increasing this to 30% by 2030.
• We’re involved in global efforts towards protecting areas on the high seas, under the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty. 🐙
Marine protection = planet protection! 🌏

Discover more in comments.

📸 Ningaloo Marine Park (Credit: & Tony Howard), Freycinet Marine Park (Credit: James Parkinson), Beagle Marine Park (Credit: NESP Marine and Coastal Hub -Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - IMAS ), Marine Park (Credit: Citizens of the Reef), Lord Howe Island Marine Park (NSW) (Credit: Sabine Rock)

03/06/2026

Reefs around the world are being impacted by similar pressures — so how are other countries supporting their reefs to adapt and be more resilient?

In the US, autonomous underwater robots are being used to discover hidden coral reef 'hotspots'.

Known as CUREE (the Curious Underwater Robot for Ecosystem Exploration), these autonomous systems can seek out and map hotspots of biodiversity on coral reefs.

They combine audio and visual data in a single autonomous system to help reveal where marine life concentrates and why.

This data provides researchers and reef managers with a smarter, faster way to understand where life persists and why, so conservationists and resource managers can focus their attention where it's needed most.

This work is a part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Reef Solutions Initiative.

Source: The Coral Reef Research Hub
📸 Artist impression | Image credit: Nicole McLachlan for Citizens of the GBR

03/06/2026

Some great coverage for one of our Reef Trust water quality projects led by Reef Catchments 🙌

29/05/2026

A new major wetlands restoration project in the Burdekin Delta will trial and monitor several approaches for reducing pollutants entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

Led by NQ Dry Tropics NRM, the project will repair, modify and restore wetlands to reduce fine sediment, dissolved inorganic nitrogen and pesticide flowing to the Reef — improving water quality, supporting healthy waterways and ecosystems.

This project is part of the Reefwise Wetlands Program, funded by the Reef Trust. The program is funding projects to support healthy, resilient wetland and riparian systems across the Reef catchment.

Wetlands are critical to the health of the Reef. They act as natural filters to improve water quality and are also vital habitats for marine life.

27/05/2026

New research has shown that baby corals can travel 100 km or more across the Pacific Ocean to find a new home. 😮

Scientists have discovered that a common coral species shares genes across reefs from the Great Barrier Reef to New Caledonia.

The study found that the offspring of this branching coral species can settle 100 kilometres or more from their parents—one of the largest dispersal distances ever recorded.

This movement also allows coral populations in Australia and New Caledonia—separated by thousands of kilometres—to share genetic material. These shared genes act like useful “tools” that help corals adapt to changing conditions.

These findings highlight the importance of considering diversity and connectivity in reef management, as well as the need for conservation efforts that extend beyond national borders.

The research was led by Southern Cross University and the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

It was supported by the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, funded through a partnership between the Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Read more 👉 https://www.scu.edu.au/news/2026/coral-connectivity-across-pacific-ocean/

📸 Coral spawning, Great Barrier reef Foundation