Engelhardt and Lassig, 1997:

"Outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) are responsible for the greatest documented ecological impact on the Great Barrier Reef. Establishing their causes and consequences is critical to the effective management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In particular, the possible role of human activities in controlling or exacerbating outbreaks, will determine whether or not management intervention on large scales is ecologically and philosophically appropriate. Targeted scientific research as well as monitoring of the dynamics of starfish populations on the Great Barrier Reef are essential for providing the necessary information upon which effective management can be based.

Over the last decade, a coordinated program of multidisciplinary scientific research has led to significant advances in our understanding of some aspects of the outbreak phenomenon on the Great Barrier Reef. Since 1985, the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Research Committee (COTSREC) has been advising reef managers on scientific issues relevant to managing the phenomenon. The COTSREC program's main aim of establishing the causes and consequences of the outbreaks has focused investigations on the two main hypotheses implicating human activities - the role of nutrients derived from terrestrial sources, and on the effects of commercial exploitation of some of the natural predators of the starfish. Despite a considerable research effort, the question of outbreak causation remains unresolved. This paper reviews the evidence for and against the 'naturalness' of the observed phenomenon and discusses current management strategies that attempt to take uncertainty and risk into account."

---

Citation and/or URL

 Engelhardt, U. & and Lassig, B. 1997, A review of possible causes and consequences of outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) on the Great Barrier Reef - an Australian perspective, The Great Barrier Reef, science, use and management: a national conference, ed. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Qld, Australia, pp. 243-259

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1983/mp_001_session_04.pdf

Spatial Coverage

 Great Barrier Reef

Temporal Coverage

 Not applicable

Update Frequency

  Not applicable

Other Information

 None