Standard Presentation (15 mins) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2022

Mars Reef Stars rapidly increase coral cover on unconsolidated coral rubble beds on the Great Barrier Reef (#389)

Eric E Fisher 1 , Katie Chartrand 2 , Freda Nicholson 3 , Alicia McArdle 3
  1. GBR Biology, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
  2. James Cook University, Tropwater, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
  3. Mars Australia, Mars Sustainable Soloutions, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Reef Magic Cruises was the first tourism operator to gain permission from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the first entity to install Mars Reef Stars near their tourism site on Moore Reef. Since June 2020, we have installed a total of 439 Reef Stars in five separate installations, populated with 6,415 coral fragments of opportunity. All fragments were sourced locally from Moore Reef and identified to species level. A total of 54 species of coral were represented in the installations, of which 40 species were from the genus Acropora. The remaining 14 species were from 11 other genera and further contributed to the diversity of growth forms and life history traits attached to the Reef Stars. Regular monitoring of coral cover, coral assemblages, fish assemblages, coral predators, invertebrates and agents of mortality were assessed across the treatment and two control sites. Coral cover increased 50% in 18 months after the first two Reef Star installations and mortality was less than 3%. Early evidence suggest Reef Stars are an effective tool to restore unconsolidated rubble beds created by severe Tropical Cyclones and another component within Tourism operators site stewardship framework to promote and conserve the Great Barrier Reef.