Australia’s coral reefs stretch far and wide, covering 50,000 square kilometers from the Indian Ocean in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East. They have been viewed as a bedrock of coastal livelihoods, as uncharted and perilous nautical hazards, as valuable natural resources, and as unique, natural wonders with secrets waiting to be unlocked. Australia’s coral reefs have sustained a global interest as places to visit, and as objects of study, science, protection and conservation.
Coral Reefs of Australia examines our evolving relationship with coral reefs, and explores their mystery and the fast pace at which they are now changing. Corals are feeling the dramatic impacts of global climate change, having undergone several devastating mass coral bleaching events, dramatic species range shifts and gradual ocean acidification.
This comprehensive and engaging book brings together the diverse views of Indigenous Australians, coral reef scientists, managers and politicians to reveal how we interact with coral reefs, focusing on Indigenous culture, coastal livelihoods, exploration, discovery, scientific research and climate change. It will inform and inspire readers to learn more about these intriguing natural phenomena and how we can protect coral reefs for the future.
Features:- A unique interdisciplinary collection celebrating our evolving relationship with Australia’s coral reefs, for coastal livelihoods, scientific study, and environmental protection.
- Brings together perspectives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, coral reef scientists, managers, and politicians.
- Covers the full geographical scope of Australia’s reefs from the Indian Ocean’s Cocos (Keeling) atoll in the West to the Pacific Ocean’s Lord Howe Island in the East.
- Illustrated throughout with diagrams, maps and photographs of coral reef environments and people interacting with them.
- Details the development of coral reef science in Australia and how scientists have interacted with reef managers and policy makers to guide effective stewardship of reefs.
Cultural sensitivity
Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used in this book that are culturally sensitive, and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. While this information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided by the author in a historical context.
This publication may also contain quotations, terms and annotations that reflect the historical attitude of the original author or that of the period in which the item was written, and may be considered inappropriate today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this publication may contain the names and images of people who have passed away.
Author(s): Sarah M. Hamylton, Pat Hutchings, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 343
City: Melbourne
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Foreword
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Author affiliations
Abbreviations
Cultural sensitivity warning
1: Australia’s coral reefs
Coral reefs around Australia
The coral reefs of Western Australia
The isolated reefs of Australia’s north-west shelf
Kimberley corals exposed
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Christmas Island
Torres Strait
Coral Sea
Lord Howe Island
The Great Barrier Reef
Under the bunggu: the inspiration of sea country
References
2: Living with Australia’s coral reefs
Changing perceptions of Australia’s coral reefs
Three coral reefs in Yanyuwa country, meaningful and powerful
Encountering and charting the hazardous reefs of Australia,1622–1864
Frank Hurley’s aquarium and the art of coral reef science
Coral reefs of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait)
Saving Australia’s reefs: how much are they worth to us?
Bêche-de-mer: the cornerstone of Australian fisheries
Western rock lobster and the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
Coral reef tourism
References
3: The evolution of science on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29
Revisiting the corals of the Low Isles 90 years later
The 1973 expedition to the northern Great Barrier Reef
Determining the age of the Great Barrier Reef: a voyage of discovery
The Australian
Museum’s quest for a research station
Early coral reef science at Heron and One Tree islands
A network of research stations: advancing reef science under global change
References
4: Understanding the fundamentals of coral reefs
Scientific drilling on the Great Barrier Reef: unlocking the history of the reef
Australia’s
reef islands
Tropical cyclones and Australia’s
coral reefs
Marginal reefs: distinct ecosystems of extraordinarily high conservation value
The basics of coral biology
The importance of reproduction and connectivity in reef renewal
Coral reef ecology
Sex, baby fish, connectivity and recruitment to reefs
The sharks, rays, whales and dugongs of Australia’s
coral reefs
Sea snakes: a unique group of marine reptiles
References
5: Managing Australia’s
coral reefs
The Great Barrier Reef as a cultural landscape: continuing our connection through the eyes of a Traditional Owner ranger
The connectedness of reefs, whales and people: a Yuin teaching
Management based on a sound understanding of the Great Barrier Reef
Filling in the pieces of the crown-of-thorns starfish puzzle
Water quality
Impacts and opportunities for floodplain wetlands on the Great Barrier Reef
Zoning the Great Barrier Reef
Mapping Australia’s
coral reefs
Citizen science for managing Queensland’s coral reef habitats
Monitoring coral reefs at the Australian
Institute of Marine Science
The use of advanced technology for monitoring coral reefs
References
6: Scientists as advocates for Australia’scoral reefs
A hundred years of the Australian
Coral Reef Society
Australia’s
role in international coral reef science and management
The influence of Australian
coral reef science and management: an Indonesian perspective
References
7: Conservation and protection of Australia’s
coral reefs
The Bingil Bay Bastard: John Busst and the making of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
A cultural shift towards environmental protection
Saving Ningaloo. Again
The story of the Coral Sea Marine Park: science, policy and advocacy
Australian
coral reefs on the World Heritage list
The UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger: a lever for reform
The politics governing survival for the Great Barrier Reef
References
8: A changing climate for Australian reefs
Climate change and Australia’s
coral reefs
Responses of coral assemblages to recurrent mass bleaching
Coral reefs on the move?
Historical degradation and shifting baselines on Australian
coral reefs
Predicting coral reef futures
Adapting for Australia’s
reefs of tomorrow: the complex landscape of reef restoration and
interventions
Reef rehabilitation and restoration
Harvesting coral spawn slicks for reef restoration
Enhancing corals using assisted evolution
Natural extreme reefs as potential coral resilience hotspots
Science meets the public, policy and management practitioners
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Advancing Australian
reef governance into the Anthropocene: the Great Barrier Reef at the
next frontier
References
Epilogue: The eye of the beholder
Reference
Index
