293 schools and more than 114,900 students and 7280 teachers are helping build the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef through our Reef Guardians Schools program.

The program began in 2003 and sees students, teachers, their communities and local environmental agencies make positive environmental changes for the marine environment.

A key objective of the Reef Guardian Schools program is to create awareness, understanding and appreciation for the Reef and its connected ecosystems.

This fosters stewardship and promotes a community culture of custodianship for Reef protection.

It empowers students and gives them a sense of involvement in the bigger picture and encourages them to make a positive difference.

Students team up with others in their community to actively participate in activities aimed at improving catchments, water quality, sustainability, and Reef health.

This includes environmental and sustainability projects within their classrooms, their school grounds and local areas such as native habit revegetation, cleaning up beaches and recycling.

Schools and teachers involved in the program have access to annual activities and education resources to assist with delivering curriculum on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Science Teaching Units have been developed from the Key Focus Areas of the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 and are linked to the Australian Science Curriculum. The Units encourage students, teachers and their communities to follow the main aim of Reef Guardians -to be stewards of the environment.

The 2012 Reef Beat education series The Inshore Great Barrier Reef - Bursting with Biodiversity explores how the inshore marine, coastal and Great Barrier Reef catchment ecosystems are interconnected and reliant on each other to function. The 2012 Reef Beat includes ten posters, nine of which make a picture of the inshore Great Barrier Reef. The posters are accompanied by a curriculum-linked activity book.

Becoming a Reef Guardian School

The Reef Guardian Schools program operates with schools in the Great Barrier Reef catchment that complete an environmental action plan for the year ahead.

For more information on the program and to register your interest, contact the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Reef Guardian Participant Interviews

	Reef Guardian interview with Lynne Shanks of Cawarral State School.
	Reef Guardian interview with Shelly De Ruyter of Thuringowa State High School
	Reef Guardian interview with Caitlyn of Thuringowa State High School