Recovery of the Great Barrier Reef

Travellers from around the world come to the Great Barrier Reef, an Australian World Heritage Area, to explore its extraordinary diversity of animal and plant life. Coral reefs face a growing number of threats, from climate change and storm damage, to sediment and nutrient run-off. Join them on an Earthwatch expedition in the water around Magnetic Island to help scientists develop best-practice methods for coral recovery. On this expedition, participants can get involved through scuba or snorkel activities. You will assist researchers in making baseline measurements of environmental conditions, actively removing algae, deploying coral recruitment (settlement) tiles and assessing fish and invertebrate diversity and abundance. By joining this expedition, you’ll be at the forefront of active reef restoration science. You will assist researchers in experiments that aim to develop best practice methods for removing this macroalgae and allowing coral to regrow. You will be directly involved in filling in the gaps that will enable reef managers to make evidence-based decisions about active interventions that support the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef, and reefs all over the world. All accommodation, meals, transfers and research activities included.