1 Augut 2007

Coral reefs around the world stand to benefit from a workshop being held this week on the Great Barrier Reef.

More than 20 international experts in coral reef management are meeting on pristine Lady Elliot Island to share strategies for mitigating and managing the future impacts of climate change on coral reefs.

Dr Paul Marshall, one of the workshop coordinators and Acting Director of the Climate Change Group at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), said the workshop was an excellent opportunity to exchange information and ideas.

“We are bringing together information from the world’s experts and working with managers both locally and throughout south-east Asia to help ensure that our reefs are ready for climate change,” he said.

“The workshop will provide participants with skills and tools to adapt their management programmes to address the growing threat climate change poses to coral reefs.

“Coral reefs are some of the most sensitive ecosystems on the planet. This group of experts brings hope of local action.”

Dr Marshall, whose coral surveys were interrupted yesterday by a massive school of manta rays visiting the island, said the pristine environment around Lady Elliot was a spectacular reminder of what was at stake.

“Lady Elliot Island is an ideal location for this workshop,” he said.

“Although reefs elsewhere in the world have lost over 70 per cent of their corals from coral bleaching, here we are surrounded by lush coral gardens and amazing marine wildlife.”

Coral reefs are under serious pressure from climate change, with over 16 per cent of the world's reef seriously damaged by coral bleaching in 1998 alone.

While the Great Barrier Reef has not escaped the ravages of climate change over recent years, it remains one of the healthiest reef systems in the world.

The workshop consists of presentations, interactive discussions and exercises, and in-water field activities.

It is based on the publication A Reef Manager’s Guide to Coral Bleaching, which included contributions from more than 50 experts in coral reef science and management.

Activities are designed to help participants acquire a range of skills such as predicting where coral bleaching will occur, measuring coral reef resilience and assessing the socioeconomic impacts of coral bleaching.

The workshop is being held from 30 July to 3 August at the Lady Elliot Island Island Resort.

It is hosted by the GBRMPA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the World Band/Global Environment Fund Coral Reef Targeted Research Project (CRTR) with additional support from the Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources.