Australasia Regional Collaboration

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Four new species of coral found in Southeast Asia
24 October 2008: Marine scientists cite the discovery of at least four new coral species in the Philippines [read more]

NOAA bolsters satellite warning network
10 October 2008: A satellite alert system that warns reef managers when there is an elevated risk of coral bleaching has been expanded by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. NOAA's Coral Reef Watch has expanded its network of 'virtual stations' monitoring ocean temperatures from 24 to 190 locations worldwide. [Read media release]

Light and Photosynthesis on Coral Reefs
An intensive postgraduate course on coral reef photobiology
19 January - 7 February 2009,
Puerto Morelos, Mexico.
[ PDF ]

Moving to better climes
23 July 2008: In the latest edition of the scientific journal Science, University of Queensland researchers, including the Chair of the CRTR Program's Centre of Excellence in Australasia, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, argue we need to consider the radical step of moving plants and animals, including marine life, to help them survive the impact of climate change. [Read summary]

Ultimate guide to managing coral disease
8 July 2008: The definitive management guide - handbook plus id cards for Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions - to identifying, assessing and managing coral reef diseases was launched at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) and can be ordered online now.
[Read media release] [Read summaries] [Order online]

Top award for CRTR researcher
21 May 2008: CRTR Program researcher, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, has been awarded the Queensland Government’s top science award. Chair of the CRTR Bleaching Working Group, and also of its Australasian Centre of Excellence, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg was one of the world's first scientists to show how projected changes in global climate threaten coral reefs including Australia's Great Barrier Reef......
[Read UQ News]

Indian Ocean coral shows partial recovery
15 May 2008: An unusual spike in sea temperatures a decade ago killed coral throughout the Indian Ocean, dropping the average healthy, hard coral cover to 15 percent of reefs from 40 percent before. CRTR researcher, Dr Tim McClanahan, said hard coral cover had recovered to 30 percent by 2005, although the data masked big variations.....
[Read Reuters Africa article]

Strange days on planet earth
5 May 2008: The award winning National Geographic program Strange Days on Planet Earth recently premiered Episode 6 (Dirty Secrets). This features the CRTR Program’s Roberto Iglesias-Prieto and his colleagues in the Caribbean who are “studying how CO2, one of our largest industrial waste products, is impacting coral reefs”.
[Read article]

Regional collaboration

Local/regional partners, linkages to non-government organizations (NGO's), government agencies:
The Centre for Marine Studies (CMS)/University of Queensland (UQ) has linkages at both state and federal government levels. CMS scientists are on key advisory committees including the Biodiversity Advisory Committee.

CMS and UQ are connected through their officials to state and federal government ministers. The Inter-governmental Oceanographic Committee has regional representation through the CRTR Program Project Executing Agency (CRTR PEA) and its Australian delegates. These link directly to the federal government.
Regional/ international research partners, networks:
The CMS is a member of the Tropical Marine Network (TMN), a joint research and teaching program of the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, James Cook University and the Australian Museum. This network involves six research stations and stretches over 1600 km of the Great Barrier Reef.

The CMS has the following international connections:
- The Director is on the council of ISRS
- The Deputy Director is secretary of WIOMSA Board and has projects in East Africa (Tanzania)
- Involvement in discussions to extend the TMN across the Pacific (including the Berkeley research station, Moorea)
- A MacArthur Foundation proposal in the Solomons starting this year (Dr Norm Duke, “Conserving the Marine Biodiversity of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands”)
- Instrumental in the formation of the Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation that has an international office (in SF) and has international development and marine conservation in its mandate
- The Director serves on the International Scientific Advisory Committee of the Foundation
- A major player in the Australian Coral Reef Society and the Australian Marine Sciences Association
- Close connections with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)
Examples of international research projects:
- 2003-2006: Tracing the origins of stress in the symbionts of reef-building corals. (ARC Large, DP0346647), partners in USA
- 2004-2006: Solar radiation, coral bleaching and climate change. (ARC Large, DP0453361), partners in USA, Mexico, Denmark
- 2004-2006: Ecology, physiology and molecular microbiology of coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. (ARC Linkage, LP0453609); partners in Israel
- 2002-2006: Vision and remote sensing: using nature’s technology to examine the health of The Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay. (ARC Linkage, LP0214956), partners in Russia
- Extensive collaboration with NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program
Student exchange:
The Centre for Marine Studies has a distinguished record in the field of international education. All study packages for international students and student groups are designed to make the most of the wonderful marine life that abounds on the Queensland coast. Students may spend time at our premier research stations on Moreton Bay and the Great Barrier Reef.

The staff at the Centre for Marine Studies and associated faculties include leaders in many fields of marine studies.

Among the CMS programs are:
- Study abroad courses open to students enrolled with the University of Queensland
- Contract programs for overseas college groups
- Special short courses in topics in marine studies
- Technical specialty courses (e.g. PAM fluorometry, ecotoxicology, Coastal zone management)
International Students are welcome to enroll in undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Queensland.
Linking science to management and policy advice:
The Centre is linked to local partners at Queensland state government level. At the federal level, the Centre has strong linkages with the Great Barrier Reef Park Management Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Linkages to local or regional NGOs, activities/projects with relevance to Coral Reef Targeted Research:
CMS has a large number of research projects in the area of coral reefs, coastal zone management and climate change. These are mostly funded by the Australian Research Council or by local stakeholder funding (e.g. Natural Heritage Funding).
Linkages to Coral Reef Targeted Research Working Groups and COE activities:
- The CMS Director is the Chair of the Bleaching Working Group
- The Deputy Director is member of the Bleaching Working Group
- Close research collaboration exist with Disease Working Group and Remote Sensing Working Group
- Training workshops (of graduate students/researchers from BML and other marine labs and coastal resource managers) in field techniques developed by the Working Groups e.g. inventorying disease, pathogens, deploying stress markers and other monitoring tools
- Dialogue and outreach on the implications of research results in the context of local issues (e.g. connectivity findings, reef restoration techniques, disease incidence and epizootiology)

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