Coral Reefs of Australia: Perspectives from Beyond the Water's Edge

345 Pages·2023·40.419 MB·English

by  Sarah M. Hamylton, Pat Hutchings, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg

Coral Reefs
of Australia
Perspectives from Beyond the Water’s Edge
Editors: Sarah M. Hamylton, Pat Hutchings
and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Coral Reefs
of Australia
Perspectives from Beyond the Water’s Edge
Editors: Sarah M. Hamylton, Pat Hutchings
and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
This book is dedicated to A ustralia’s reefs and the people who live with them.
Copyright The Authors 2022. All rights reserved. conducts these activities autonomously from the research
activities of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
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Hamylton SM, Hutchings P, Hoegh-Guldberg O (Eds) this publication should not be interpreted as
(2022) Coral Reefs of A ustralia: Perspectives from Beyond the diminishing the knowledge of plants, animals and
Water’s Edge. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. environment from Indigenous ecological knowledge
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Clayton South VIC 3169 Coral Reef Society or the lead editors.
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Front cover: The reef at Lord Howe Island (image credit:
Matthew Curnock)
Back cover: Watson Island, Great Barrier Reef (image
credit: Sarah Hamylton)
Edited by Joy Window (Living Language)
Cover design by Cath Pirret
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Jul22_01
FOREWORD
Sylvia A. Earle
For thousands of years, the warm waters along observed along Australia’s eastern coast and
Australia’s coasts have gleamed with the rainbow beyond in the Coral Sea in the 1970s and 1980s have
hues of healthy coral reef systems, home to hun- been largely transformed into ghost reefs, where
dreds of kinds of corals, anemones, jellyfish, echi- far fewer sharks, grouper, snappers, lobsters and
noderms, algae and seabirds, thousands of species even parrotfish swim among hauntingly pale
of sponges and molluscs, two dozen kinds of rep- branches and mounds of coral.
tiles, more than a hundred kinds of sharks, at least Armed with evidence gathered by thousands of
1500 bony fish species, 30 kinds of mammals and scientists recording data from spacecraft and satel-
members of more than 30 other of the major catego- lites high in the sky, submersibles and instruments
ries of life, including myriad microbes. In the 21st deployed deep within the sea, and measurements
century, one kind of mammal – Homo sapiens – and observations in and across the globe, it is clear
looms large as both an agent of unprecedented that humans are, indeed, changing the nature of
destruction and as the best hope for an enduring nature. Their behaviours are warming the Earth,
future for these ancient metropolises of life. diminishing the abundance and diversity of life
As a young scientist in the 1950s, I was led to and changing planetary chemistry. In a few dec-
believe that the ocean was a realm apart from life ades, human actions are unravelling the basic living
on the land, a mysterious space so vast that nothing systems that have shaped Earth‘s rocks and water
humans do could alter its nature and that no one into an oasis of life, a mostly blue miracle in an oth-
could really predict, let alone change, the weather, erwise inhospitable universe. Our life support sys-
the climate, the chemistry – or the composition of tems are in trouble, and therefore, so are we.
life on Earth. But around the world, rapid loss of The good news is that it is not too late to reverse
terrestrial wildlife and wild places had inspired much of the harm and turn from decline to recov-
nations to protect special places as parks and ery. Nature-based solutions that protect and restore
reserves. By the 1970s, concerns were growing wildlife and wild places are achieving results, with
about signs of ocean decline, and in 1975 Australia more than 70 nations pledging to protect at least 30
responded by establishing the Great Barrier Reef per cent of the land and sea by 2030. In this thought-
Marine Park Authority in an effort to safeguard the ful, authoritative, magnificently illustrated volume,
health of that treasured region. the authors share their insights not only about the
Throughout decades of exploration on, around wondrous nature of Australia’s legendary coral
and under the ocean I have witnessed the most reefs, but also about actions that inspire hope for a
profound time of discovery -- and the greatest era long and prosperous future for them and for all of
of loss – in all of human history. The coral reefs I life on Earth, humans very much included.
iii
CONTENTS
Foreword iii
Acknowledgements vii
Preface viii
Author affiliations ix
Abbreviations xii
Cultural sensitivity warning xiii
1 A ustralia’s coral reefs 1
Coral reefs around A ustralia 2
The coral reefs of Western Australia 4
The isolated reefs of Australia’s north-west shelf 8
Kimberley corals exposed 11
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands 15
Christmas Island 18
Torres Strait 23
Coral Sea 28
Lord Howe Island 34
The Great Barrier Reef 39
Under the bunggu: the inspiration of sea country 44
References 45
2 Living with Australia’s coral reefs 49
Changing perceptions of Australia’s coral reefs 50
Three coral reefs in Yanyuwa country, meaningful and powerful 53
Encountering and charting the hazardous reefs of A ustralia, 1622–1864 57
Frank Hurley’s aquarium and the art of coral reef science 60
Coral reefs of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) 64
Saving A ustralia’s reefs: how much are they worth to us? 67
Bêche-de-mer: the cornerstone of A ustralian fisheries 70
Western rock lobster and the Houtman Abrolhos Islands 73
Coral reef tourism 79
References 86
3 The evolution of science on the Great Barrier Reef 91
The Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29 92
Revisiting the corals of the Low Isles 90 years later 98
The 1973 expedition to the northern Great Barrier Reef 99
Determining the age of the Great Barrier Reef: a voyage of discovery 104
iv
ConTEnTS v
The Australian Museum’s quest for a research station 107
Early coral reef science at Heron and one Tree islands 109
A network of research stations: advancing reef science under global change 114
References 119
4 Understanding the fundamentals of coral reefs 123
Scientific drilling on the Great Barrier Reef: unlocking the history of the reef 124
Australia’s reef islands 130
Tropical cyclones and A ustralia’s coral reefs 134
Marginal reefs: distinct ecosystems of extraordinarily high conservation value 139
The basics of coral biology 143
The importance of reproduction and connectivity in reef renewal 148
Coral reef ecology 151
Sex, baby fish, connectivity and recruitment to reefs 157
The sharks, rays, whales and dugongs of A ustralia’s coral reefs 163
Sea snakes: a unique group of marine reptiles 166
References 169
5 Managing Australia’s coral reefs 175
The Great Barrier Reef as a cultural landscape: continuing our connection through the eyes
of a Traditional owner ranger 176
The connectedness of reefs, whales and people: a Yuin teaching 179
Management based on a sound understanding of the Great Barrier Reef 182
Filling in the pieces of the crown-of-thorns starfish puzzle 186
Water quality 189
Impacts and opportunities for floodplain wetlands on the Great Barrier Reef 192
Zoning the Great Barrier Reef 196
Mapping A ustralia’s coral reefs 200
Citizen science for managing Queensland’s coral reef habitats 205
Monitoring coral reefs at the Australian Institute of Marine Science 208
The use of advanced technology for monitoring coral reefs 210
References 212
6 Scientists as advocates for Australia’s coral reefs 217
A hundred years of the Australian Coral Reef Society 218
Australia’s role in international coral reef science and management 229
The influence of A ustralian coral reef science and management: an Indonesian perspective 231
References 234
7 Conservation and protection of  Australia’s coral reefs 237
The Bingil Bay Bastard: John Busst and the making of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 238
A cultural shift towards environmental protection 242
Saving ningaloo. Again 244
vi CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRALIA
The story of the Coral Sea Marine Park: science, policy and advocacy 251
Australian coral reefs on the World Heritage list 256
The UnESCo List of World Heritage in Danger: a lever for reform 259
The politics governing survival for the Great Barrier Reef 261
References 263
8 A changing climate for A ustralian reefs 267
Climate change and A ustralia’s coral reefs 268
Responses of coral assemblages to recurrent mass bleaching 271
Coral reefs on the move? 276
Historical degradation and shifting baselines on Australian coral reefs 279
Predicting coral reef futures 281
Adapting for A ustralia’s reefs of tomorrow: the complex landscape of reef restoration and
interventions 287
Reef rehabilitation and restoration 288
Harvesting coral spawn slicks for reef restoration 289
Enhancing corals using assisted evolution 291
natural extreme reefs as potential coral resilience hotspots 296
Science meets the public, policy and management practitioners 297
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 301
Advancing Australian reef governance into the Anthropocene: the Great Barrier Reef at the
next frontier 303
References 307
Epilogue: The eye of the beholder 315
Reference 317
Index 318
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book has been curated to mark the Hundred science and management projects over the past
Year Anniversary of the Australian Coral Reef century of coral reef science cannot be comprehen-
Society and the council and members are thanked sively described.
for their support and contributions. The efforts of several people in searching out
The text has benefited from the insights of sev- archival information and images are much appreci-
eral expert chapter reviewers, including Professor ated: Professor Tom Spencer and Professor B arbara
Maria Byrne, Dr Michelle Dyer (GBRMPA), Dr Brown at the Natural History Museum, Royal Soci-
Zena Dinesen, Catheline Froehlich, Dr Saskia Jur- ety and Royal Geographical Society in London,
riaans (AIMS), Professor Richard Kenchington, Joanna Ruxton at the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Brett Lewis, Professor David Suggett, Dr Gergely Park Authority, Trisha Fielding at the James Cook
Torda, and Professor Colin Woodroffe. University Library, Jack Ennis Butler at the National
We would like to thank the Australian Academy Library of A ustralia, Patricia Egan at the A ustralian
of Sciences for providing financial support through Museum, Joy Wheeler at the Royal Geographical
their Regional Collaboration Programme towards Society and Dr Anne Hoggett at Lizard Island
book research and publishing costs. The Regional Research Station.
Collaborations Programme is supported by the Members of the A ustralian Coral Reef Society
Australian Government under the National Inno- are thanked for supplying images throughout the
vation and Science Agenda. We are also grateful for book. Matthew Curnock and Martin Colognoli
the ongoing support of the Australian Research deserve a special mention for generously providing
Council for coral reef science through their grant their spectacular photographs. Brett Lewis’s excel-
programs and large initiatives such as the Centre lent graphic design suggestions were invaluable.
for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, which has Thank you to the following people for provid-
been critically important to Australian coral reef ing the photograph at the start of each chapter:
science. Similarly, many organisations like the Matthew Curnock (Chapters 1 and 8), Paul Jones
Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great (Chapter 2), Prithvi Bhattacharya (Chapters 3 and
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Great 5), Brett Lewis (Chapter 4), Steph Gardner
Barrier Reef Foundation have provided key input (Chapter 6), Julia Sumerling (Chapter 7).
and financial support to broaden the research, edu- Our editors at CSIRO Publishing, Mark Hamil-
cation and communication necessary to build solu- ton, Briana Melideo, Tracey Kudis and Joy Window,
tions and a better future for A ustralia’s coral reefs are thanked for their sharp eyes, useful sugges-
in a stable, zero carbon world. The long list of indi- tions and patient guidance in pulling the manu-
viduals and organisations who have supported script together.
vii
PREFACE
Sarah Hamylton, Pat Hutchings and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Australia’s tropical coastline supports mangroves, instruments from boats, and making observations
seagrass and coral reefs, runs for thousands of kilo- at field sites and in laboratories. Australian scien-
metres and takes on distinct regional characteristics tists have gone beyond unlocking the geological
as it crosses from the arid deserts of Western and biological secrets of reefs to occupy a broader
Australia to the Wet Tropics of Queensland. No role as advocates, communicators and advisors,
single person has dived the entire vastness of driven by their profound admiration for, and desire
Australia’s coral reefs, many of which are seldom to protect reefs and their associated ecosystems.
visited by humans. Only recently have many of What began for most as a passion is now deadly
these reefs become accessible to visitors, tourists, serious. As local and global threats have multi-
scientists and those seeking to make a living from plied, our understanding of coral reefs in the
them. Anthropocene is more important than ever, with
Coral reefs may be contingent on geology and humans directly changing planetary tempera-
biology, but, as Iain McCalman writes in his book tures. Corals are now the ‘canary in the coalmine’
The Reef: A Passionate History, they are also products for the impacts of global climate change, having
of human perception that have been imagined into suffered more frequent and intense mass coral
existence down the millennia. In Australia, it is an bleaching and mortality, dramatic species range
imaginative picture that extends back, uniquely, at shifts, ocean acidification, and more. Australia’s
least 60 000 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait coral reefs have sustained a global interest for cen-
Islander A ustralians regard coral reefs as part of a turies and the diverse perspectives in this book
sea country that incorporates all living people, ani- trace our evolving relationship with them, telling
mals, plants, and creation spirits, about which sto- inspiring stories of scientific discovery and ocean
ries have been told for many generations. More governance that have put Australia at the fore-
recently, our perceptions of reefs have been shaped front of environmentally responsible coral reef
by discovery and exploration. Reefs have trans- management.
formed from mortal danger to natural mystery, Curating this collection has been an organic pro-
from bountiful expanse of untapped resources to cess in which we included as many voices as possi-
unique ecosystems worthy of protection. ble, although they inevitably encompass only a small
As people have become increasingly familiar portion of all the people who interact with Australia’s
with these seascapes, helped by aquaria, SCUBA reefs. Ideas and insights are presented in distinctive
technology, books and documentaries, their curi- styles; they focus on different ways in which people
osity has deepened about how such a wealth of interact with reefs and are sometimes contradictory.
biodiversity thrives in remote and often low-nutri- We bring together different worldviews to empha-
ent oceans. Much of this biodiversity remains sise the differences between perspectives, from
undescribed. This book offers a range of perspec- industry to Indigenous, from mesophotic to mass
tives on the relationship between coral reefs and spawning. It is the interplay between them that
humans. It is a relationship shaped by hours spent offers a deeper understanding of what it means to
floating above reefs, walking reef flats, dangling work with and live alongside A ustralia’s reefs.
viii
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS
Maria Fernanda Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Qld
Adame
Robin Beaman College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld
Giglia A. Beretta School of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, nSW
David J. Booth School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, nSW
John Bradley Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic
Barbara Brown School of natural & Environmental Sciences, University of newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Environmental
Research Unit, University of the Highlands and Islands, Caithness, Scotland
nicola Browne School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA
Maria Byrne School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, nSW
Emma Camp Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, nSW
Mel Cowlishaw Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Brisbane, Qld
Graeme Cumming ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld; A ustralian
Coral Reef Society Council member
Matthew I. CSIRo Land and Water, Townsville Qld
Curnock
Jon C. Day ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld; formerly
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Qld
Christopher CSIRo oceans & Atmosphere, St Lucia, Qld
Doropoulos
Sophie Dove ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Biological Sciences at the University of
Queensland, St Lucia, Qld
Michelle Dyer Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Qld; A ustralian Coral Reef Society Council
member
Michael J. Emslie Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld
Gal Eyal ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of
Queensland, St Lucia, Qld; Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University,
Israel
Ann Elias Department of Art History, University of Sydney, Sydney, nSW
Leanne Fernandes Senior Research Fellow, School of Marine Biology, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook
University, Townsville, Qld
Maoz Fine The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Catheline School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, nSW;
Froehlich Australian Coral Reef Society Council member
James Gilmour Australian Institute of Marine Science, Indian ocean Marine Science Centre, University of Western
Australia, Perth, WA; oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia,
Australia
Howard Gray Maritime historian, Batavia Coast, WA
Jack Greenwood Department of Zoology, The University of Queensland (1961–2002)
Valerie Hagger School of Biological Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld
Sarah M. School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, nSW;
Hamylton President, Australian Coral Reef Society
Melanie Hava Melanie Hava is a Mamu Aboriginal artist. Her mother is from the Dugul-barra and Warii-barra family
groups of the Johnstone River catchment
ix