Researcher(s):
Jack Kamysz Rylie Neely
ENVS course(s): 220 Initiated: November 2017 Completed: December 2017 Go to project site
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This project looks at the impact of Crown of Thorns Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef, and the effectiveness of the policies and management methods that have been implemented. Crown of Thorns Starfish are a native species that are beneficial in low populations because they eat fast growing coral, which allows for slower growing coral colonies to establish themselves, however when their populations exceed a certain threshold they can have devastating effect on reef life. Not much is known about the cause of their cyclical outbreaks, or their natural predators, however the Australian Government has allocated funding for research and several management strategies have been implemented through The Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan and The Reef Trust to manage this species. Our project takes a look at these management strategies in order to see whether human intervention is necessary, and what has been effective and why.