Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Competition between corals and algae appears normal except for some inshore areas, but there is little information about other types of competition.
  
• It can be assumed that reductions in the populations of species such as dugongs, marine turtles, predatory fish and sea cucumbers have affected natural competitive processes.
• Almost all Great Barrier Reef species will be affected by climate change, some seriously. Coral reef habitats and seabirds are particularly vulnerable.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Macroalgae, nutrients and phase shifts on coral reefs
  
• Effects of competition and herbivory on interactions between hard coral and a brown alga
  
• Competition between corals and algae on coral reefs
• Replenishment of corals: role of algae
• Modelled causes of coral reef degradation
• The fate of bleached corals: patterns and dynamics of algal recruitment  [450KB] 
• The effects of nutrients and herbivory on competition between a hard coral and a brown alga [400KB] 
  

Existing policies and management actions

• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• Implementation of WTO conditions and recommendations from the latest EPBC assessment: progress by fishery
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland Fisheries policies and legislation
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring 
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries 
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• Sustainable traditional use of marine resources
• A Reef-wide framework for managing traditional use of marine resources in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park  [368KB]
  
• Management of 'traditional use' 1
  
• Management of 'traditional use' 2
  
• 'Traditional use', management and contemporary relationships
• Cape York rangers 
  

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• What will be the interaction dynamics between algae, coral polyps and herbivores under different climate scenarios?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring