Download - ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

2006 Annual Report

2006 Annual ReportContentsVision 3Mission 3Aims 3Overview 3Director’s Report 5Management Structure 6Governance 6Centre Advisory Board 7Scientifi c Management Committee 7Membership 9Research staff 9Technical Staff 9Administrative Staff 9Graduate Students 9Research Program Leaders 10Research 13Program 1: Evolutionary and environmental change 14Program 2: Understanding and Managing Coral 16Reef BiodiversityProgram 3: Marine Reserves and Reef Connectivity 18Program 4: Genetic, molecular and physiological processes 20Program 5: Resilience of linked social-ecological systems 22Students 25End-User Engagement and Co-investment 32National and International Linkages 36Media Coverage 38National Benefit Case-Study 41Case Study 1: Science for Managing Reef Fisheries 41Case Study 2: Building Resilience to Climate Change 43Publications 44Journal Articles 44Book Chapters 47Conference Proceedings 48Reports 48Publication Benchmarking 49Performance Measures 51Research fi ndings 51Research training and professional education 51International, national and regional links and networks 52Governance 53Organisational support 54National Benefi t 54Financial Statement 55Financial Status 561

VisionGlobal leadership in the provision of scientifi c knowledge necessary forcoral reef managers to preserve the world’s coral reefs.MissionTo create a world-best integrated research framework that addressesregional and global issues and knowledge gaps in coral reef science andmanagement.Aims1. ResearchResearch is world-best, innovative, and highly relevant to coral reef science and management.2. Research Training & Professional EducationThe Centre attracts and trains outstanding coral reef scientists at all stages of career, emphasizing practical outcomes and problem solving.3. End-user linkagesTransfer of knowledge, technologies and research outcomes to end-users, industry and the wider community promotes cooperationand improves the management of coral reefs.4. National and International linkagesThe Centre’s networks and activities nationally and internationally represent a global hub for coral reef science collaborations.5. Management and GovernanceCentre management is collaborative, co-operative, multi-institutional, communicative and continuously improving.6. CommercialisationCommercialisation activities extend knowledge transfer, nationally and globally.OverviewThe ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was established in July 2005 under the ARC Centres of Excellence program. Ledby James Cook University (JCU), the ARC Centre partnership includes the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), The AustralianNational University (ANU), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and The University of Queensland (UQ) with formalcollaborative links to twenty-four additional institutions in nine countries.Sustainability of coral reef resources is vital for economies and societies in tropical maritime countries worldwide and Australia plays aleading role in the science that underpins coral reef management. The ARC Centre of Excellence creates multidisciplinary teams of leadingscientists with a balance of University-based researchers, collaborating organisations and distinguished overseas partners, in additionto strong linkages with industry partners and end-users. The multi-institutional research teams have unprecedented access to the majortropical marine research infrastructure in Australia.3

Director’s ReportWelcome to the2006 annualreport for theARC Centreof Excellencefor Coral ReefStudies, ourfi rst full yearof operation. What a year it has been!We produced 132 peer-reviewedpublications in 2006, a 29% increase on2005. Major research themes includeadaptation to climate change, managingbiodiversity, emergent diseases, fisheriesbiology, design of marine parks, andcoastal management – in short, thescience that underpins the sustainabledelivery of goods and services from theworld’s coral reefs. Our publicationsthis year include co-authorships from93 institutions in 29 countries.The added visibility and scope of theARC Centre has lead to a substantialincrease in our level of engagementwith governments, industry, NGOs,and the general public (see report onp.32). We have also reached a financialmilestone in 2006, securing over $12million in additional cash incomebeyond the award from ARC, bringingour budget for 2005-2010 to more than$35 million. The Centre’s AdministeringInstitution, James Cook University,has generously increased its cashsupport for 2006 and beyond by 50%.Graduate training continues to be a majorfocus of the Centre (see a summaryof research student activities on pagep.25). The number of postgraduatessupervised by Centre personnel hasincreased to 110, up sharply from 74 in2005. Our students now come from 29countries, making us a global leader inthe provision of graduate training in coralreef studies. Thirteen students completedhigher degrees in 2006, a number thatis on course to double by 2009. Wehave established a student committee,which is resourced to help enhance thegraduate experience of research studentsthrough mentoring activities, includingseveral multi-nodal seminar series,student travel awards and prizes, andan annual retreat. Thirty-five graduatestudents now have multi-institutionalsupervisory arrangements, takingadvantage of expertise and resourcesat all of the Centre’s main nodes.The Centre has invested heavily inrecruiting 15 postdoctoral fellows in2006, including 6 from overseas. Threeof these appointments arise from newco-investment in collaborative projectswith the Australian Institute of MarineScience and CSIRO. Three of the Centre’sresearchers were also awarded newprestigious ARC Fellowships in 2006 (fora 2007 start) – an Australian PostdoctoralFellowship (APD), Australian ResearchFellowship (ARF) and a FederationFellowship. Following a series ofworkshops on grant-writing, conductedin late 2006 at the JCU and UQ-nodes,the Centre has sponsored the researchcosts associated with 10 applicationsfor ARC Fellowships in the pendinground of the ARC Discovery Program.Many of the newly-arrived postdoctoralresearchers have initiated additionalcommercial consultancies in 2006.Our new Centre of Excellence websitehas been highly successful, growing fromzero to >600,000 hits in its fi rst year, with84% being from outside Australia. Thewebsite caters for multiple audiences,including a diverse suite of end-users,other researchers and students, schoolchildren, and the general public. It willcontinues to develop, and is an importanttool in presenting our outputs andresearch services to the world. Our mediaup-take in 2006 has grown by 5-fold,with more than 700 stories featuring the2006 activities of the ARC Centre, fornational and international audiences.By the end of 2006, a Google searchfor “ARC Centre of Excellence” placesus fi rst among 1.1 million websites.The Centre’s 2006 performance hasexceeded all of its Key PerformanceIndicators and the Centre hasapproached the Australian ResearchCouncil to review targets for 2007.This coming year, 2007, will be evenbusier than the last! Highlights willinclude additional recruitment of researchfellows, further website developmentto improve delivery of our researchproducts and services, developing amajor new research program (Program6) in Conservation Planning, leading aNational Forum on Coral Reef Futures(in collaboration with the AustralianAcademy of Science), and undertaking afull-blown external review of the Centre.Finally, I offer my congratulations andsincere thanks to all of the Centre’spersonnel for an outstanding year. Ithank our new and existing collaboratorsaround the world for their friendshipand intellectual input into our jointendeavors. I am especially grateful tothe Centre’s Chief Operations Officer,Jenny Lappin, and our KPI Officer, LouiseTaylor, for their hard work, patience andenthusiasm. Well done, everybody!Terry HughesDirector5

Management StructureCentre Advisory BoardScientific ManagementCommitteeCentre DirectorBusiness TeamProgram 1Evolutionary andEnvironmentalChangeProgram 2Understandingand ManagingCoral ReefBiodiversityProgram 3Marine Reservesand ConnectivityProgram 4Genetic,Molecular andPhysiologicalProcessesProgram 5Resilience ofLinked SocialecologicalSystemsGovernanceA key goal of the Centre is to establish governance structures that engage stakeholders in planning and management processes and thatprovide easy access to emerging technologies, knowledge and information. The Centre is governed by a Centre Advisory Board and aScientifi c Management Committee. We are privileged to have access to the expertise and experience of university, industry and scientificleaders and we extend our thanks to them for their advice and contribution in establishing the Centre.Major research and operational decisions are made by the Centre Director in consultation with the Chief Operations Offi cer and theProgram Leaders. The operational framework for the Centre is provided by the ARC Funding Agreement, collaborators’ Centre Agreement,ARC funding Rules and Centre Application.6

Centre Advisory BoardThe Centre Advisory Board contributes to the development of strategies and vision of the Centre and facilitates improvedlinkages between the Centre, industry, government and the wider community to facilitate uptake of research outcomes. TheBoard provides advice on research directions, centre structure, membership and commercialisation.The Centre Advisory Board held its inaugural meeting in May 2006. Key on the list of its discussion points was its roleand the recruitment of a Chair for the Board. Board members agreed that their focus would be strategic and long term,to develop end-user engagements, to assist in encouraging cross-nodal team research and in leveraging ARC funding tosecure long term funding for the Centre. International research was identifi ed as a strength of the Centre and pursuingend-user linkages and developments in this area was considered a priority. An eminent business leader has been recruitedas the Chair from 2007. The composition of the Board in 2006 was:Professor Norman PalmerPro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)James Cook UniversityProfessor David SiddleDeputy Vice Chancellor (Research)University of QueenslandProfessor Lawrence CramDeputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)Australian National UniversityDr Ian PoinerChief Executive Offi cerAustralian Institute of Marine ScienceHonorable Virginia ChadwickChairGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityProfessor Terry HughesCentre DirectorScientifi c Management CommitteeThe Scientifi c Management Committee is responsible for the high-level operational management of the Centre and forits scientifi c research program objectives. During 2006 the Committee met formally four times in February, May, Augustand October. Priorities for 2006 included establishing the objectives and operations for the Centre’s research programs,recruiting high-quality postdoctoral fellows, developing an effective communications strategy and implementing newprocesses for engaging effectively with the Centre’s graduate students. Committee Members are:Professor Yossi Loya (Chair)Professor of Marine BiologyThe Raynor Chair for Environmental ConservationResearchDepartment of ZoologyTel Aviv UniversityIsraelDr. David WachenfeldDirector, Science Technology and Information GroupGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityProfessor Malcolm McCullochEnvironmental Geochemistry and GeochronologyResearch School of Earth SciencesAustralian National UniversityProfessor Garry RussSchool of Marine Biology and AquacultureJames Cook UniversityProfessor David BellwoodSchool of Marine Biology and AquacultureJames Cook UniversityProfessor Ove Hoegh-GuldbergCentre for Marine ScienceUniversity of QueenslandProfessor Terry HughesCentre Director7

MembershipResearch staffChief InvestigatorsProfessor Terry HughesJames Cook UniversityDr Kenneth AnthonyUniversity of QueenslandDr Andrew BairdJames Cook UniversityProfessor David BellwoodJames Cook UniversityDr Roger BradburyAustralian NationalUniversityDr Sean ConnollyJames Cook UniversityDr Sophie DoveUniversity of QueenslandProfessor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg University ofQueenslandProfessor Geoffrey JonesJames Cook UniversityProfessor MichaelKingsford James CookUniversityDr Mark McCormickJames Cook UniversityProfessor MalcolmMcCullochAustralian NationalUniversityProfessor David MillerJames Cook UniversityDr Philip MundayJames Cook UniversityA/Professor John PandolfiUniversity of QueenslandDr Morgan PratchettJames Cook UniversityProfessor Garry RussJames Cook UniversityProfessor Bette WillisJames Cook UniversityProfessor DavidYellowleesJames Cook UniversityPartner InvestigatorsProfessor Carl FolkeStockholm UniversityProfessor Ronald KarlsonUniversity of DelawareDr Janice LoughAustralian Instituteof Marine ScienceDr Laurence McCookGreat Barrier Reef MarinePark AuthorityDr Mark MeekanAustralian Instituteof Marine ScienceDr Serge PlanesUniversity of PerpignanProfessor Robert SteneckUniversity of MaineDr Madeleine Van OppenAustralian Instituteof Marine ScienceResearch FellowsDr Glenn AlmanyJames Cook UniversityDr Andrew BairdJames Cook UniversityDr Line BayJames Cook University /AIMSDr Kathleen BroderickJames Cook University /CSIRODr Joshua CinnerJames Cook UniversityDr Kathryn FergusonJames Cook UniversityDr Simon FoaleJames Cook UniversityDr Terry HughesJames Cook UniversityDr Stacey JupiterAustralian NationalUniversity / AIMSDr Bill LeggattUniversity of QueenslandDr Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy James CookUniversityDr Pippa MooreUniversity of QueenslandDr Philip MundayJames Cook UniversityDr Morgan PratchettJames Cook UniversityDr Mauricio Rodriguez-LanettyUniversity of QueenslandTechnical StaffLewis AndersonJames Cook UniversityMary BoyleJames Cook UniversityAndrew ChristianAustralian NationalUniversityVivian CumboJames Cook UniversityClaire FarnsworthJames Cook UniversityChris FultonJames Cook UniversityMizue HisanoJames Cook UniversityAndrew HoeyJames Cook UniversityEmily HowellsJames Cook UniversityLes KinsleyAustralian NationalUniversitySelma KlantenJames Cook UniversityJessica MaddamsJames Cook UniversityKat MarkeyJames Cook UniversityGraham MortimerAustralian NationalUniversityNela RosicUniversity of QueenslandMaya SrinivasanJames Cook UniversityLubna UkaniJames Cook UniversityAdministrativeStaffJennifer LappinChief Operations Offi cerRoslyn BurgessFinance Manager andGraduate CoordinatorLisa PopeAustralian NationalUniversityLouise TaylorOffi ce Manager and KPIOffi cerVeronica WestacottUniversity of QueenslandGraduateStudents(see page p.25)9

Research Program LeadersProfessorMalcolm McCullochProfessor Malcolm McCulloch is oneof the Centre's two Deputy Directorsand Program Leader of Program 1:Evolutionary and Environmental Change.He is the Professor and head of EarthEnvironment, Research School of EarthSciences, at The Australian NationalUniversity, Canberra, and has heldthis position since 1996. His researchinterests focus on the modern partof the geologic record using isotopicand trace element geochemicalmethods to determine how climate andanthropogenic processes have infl uencedboth past and present environmentswith particular emphasis on coralreefs. Malcolm has received a numberof awards, including Fellowships ofthe Australian Academy of Science(2004) and the American GeophysicalUnion (2002) and in 2007 was awardedan Honorary Doctorate from CurtinUniversity of Technology. His 208scientifi c papers have been published inleading international journals including22 in Science or Nature.ProfessorDavid BellwoodProfessor David Bellwood is ProgramLeader of Program 2, Understanding andManaging Coral Reef Biodiversity. Hisresearch encompasses biogeography,paleoecology, biomechanics andbehavioural ecology. His primaryinterests focus on the role of fi shes oncoral reefs and the relationship betweenspecies diversity and ecosystem functionat global scales. He is particularlyinterested in the role of history inshaping the structure and functionalcharacteristics of reef fi sh communities.After holding positions in the Ministry ofAgriculture, Fisheries and Food (UK) andthe Natural History Museum (London),he received his doctorate from JamesCook University in 1985. Subsequently,he held postdoctoral positions at SillimanUniversity, Philippines (1986) and atJCU (1987-1990). David joined the staffat JCU in 1991, where he now holdsa Personal Chair in Marine Biology.He has published over 110 articles inleading international journals, including10 in Science or Nature. He currentlysupervises an active research groupof six graduate students and conductscollaborative projects with researchers infi ve countries.ProfessorGarry RussProfessor Garry Russ is Program Leaderof Program 3: Marine Reserves and ReefConnectivity. Garry studies the biology ofreef fi sh of commercial and recreationalfi shing signifi cance (mostly serranids,lutjanids and lethrinids). A major areaof research involves population andcommunity dynamics of reef fish ofcommercial/recreational significanceon coral reefs opened and closed tofi shing. In Southeast Asia and Australia,he is undertaking long-term (23 year)monitoring of reef fi sh populations insideand outside marine reserves. Russreceived his PhD from the University ofMelbourne in 1981. He was a QueensFellow at the Australian Institute ofMarine Science from 1982-1986. Hesubsequently held a lectureship at theUniversity of Sydney (1986-87). Garrymoved to JCU 1988 where he is currentlya Professor in Marine Biology. Garry haspublished over 55 papers internationaljournals. In 1999, he received aprestigious PEW Fellowship in MarineConservation jointly with his long-timecolleague Dr. Angel Alcala.10

ProfessorOve Hoegh-GuldbergProfessor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is theother Deputy Director and ProgramLeader of Program 4: Genetic, molecularand physiological processes. He is theDirector of the Centre for Marine Studiesat University of Queensland, and Directorof the Stanford-Australia Program atUQ. His research interests span a broadrange of topics including marine biology,evolution, physiology, biochemistryand molecular biology of plant-animalsymbioses, co-evolution, coral bleachingand climate change. Ove is Chair ofthe GEF/World Bank Working Group onCoral Bleaching and Related Ecologicaldisturbances, one of six expert groupswithin the IOC and World Bank CoastalProgram’s Global Coral Reef TargetedResearch and Capacity Building Project.In the area of marine symbioses, he leadsa large research group including 9 postdoctoral fellows, 13 postgraduate and 3Honours students as Senior Investigatorwith the Marine Animal and PlantSymbioses Laboratory at UQ. Ove haspublished over 90 papers, including 6 inScience or Nature.ProfessorTerry HughesProfessor Terry Hughes is the Director ofthe ARC Centre of Excellence, the Centre'sFederation Fellow (2002-2007) and ProgramLeader of Program 5: Resilience of linkedsocial-ecological systems. Terry has broadresearch interests in ecology, marinebiology and the dynamics of coral reefs.He received his doctorate in 1984 fromJohns Hopkins University in Baltimore,Maryland, USA. From 1984-1990, he wasa Postdoctoral and Research Fellow at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara.In 1990, Terry was recruited by JCU todevelop and lead a program in coral reefecology. He was awarded a PersonalChair in 2000, and was elected a Fellowof the Australian Academy of Sciences in2001 in recognition of “a career which hassignificantly advanced the world's storeof scientific knowledge”. He has beenawarded two Federation Fellowships by theAustralian Research Council, from 2002-2012. As Centre Director, Terry providesacademic leadership and oversees thestrategic development of the Centre. Hecurrently supervises 6 graduate studentsand directs a very active field programof biogeographic-scale research in eightcountries. He has published over 80influential scientific papers on the biologyand management of coral reefs, including18 in Science or Nature.11

Research13

Program 1Evolutionary andenvironmental changeResearchersMalcolm McCulloch (ProgramLeader)Roger BradburySean ConnollyOve Hoegh-GuldbergTerry Hughes (Research Fellow)Stacey Jupiter (Research Fellow)Michael KingsfordJanice LoughPippa Moore (Research Fellow)John PandolfiRobert SteneckKnowledge of the past improves ourability to predict future infl uences ofnatural environmental variability, humanimpacts, and climate change on coralreefs. Centre researchers use fossiland historical records to develop novelmethods to identify potential causesof global change in biodiversity andecosystem function. Together withecological studies, this broad array ofwork provides a unique perspectiveon community change that rangesfrom centuries to millennia. Two newPostdoctoral Fellows were recruited toProgram 1 in 2006 - Stacy Jupiter fromthe USA, and Pippa Moore from the UK.Program 1 is documenting the ecologicaleffects of climate change duringthe Quaternary interval, in order tounderstand how regional diversitypatterns respond to climate change.Researchers from the UQ and ANUnodes, led by John Pandolfi and MalcolmMcCulloch have focussed on the upliftedHolocene reefs of the Huon Peninsula,Papua New Guinea. Similar studiesare also underway along a latitudinalgradient on Western Australian coralreefs. In WA, Malcolm McCulloch isutilizing the 5-6m higher sea-levelsassociated with warmer conditions ofthe Last Interglacial period to provide abenchmark for understanding future risesin sea level. In another project, Pandolfiand colleagues have found persistencein coral community structure from raisedreef terraces of Barbados through a115 ka interval. These studies showhow analysis of ecological patterns infossil coral reefs can provide estimatesof the natural variability of coral reefcommunities in the absence of humaninteractions.In February, the ARC Centre held aworkshop in Townsville to plan a researchstrand on the issue of shifting baselines,focusing in particular on the social,economic and environmental history ofthe Great Barrier Reef and its catchment.This is a joint Program 1 and 5 set ofprojects, involving all nodes of the ARCCentre.This year, Program 1 and 2 launched anew multi-disciplinary, multi-nationalcollaboration to study the origins andevolutionary development of the shallowmarine biota of the Indo-Pacifi c regionover the last fi fty million years. Ledby John Pandolfi and David Bellwood,the project currently comprises topresearchers from Australia, Europe andSoutheast Asia, involving universities,museums, oil companies and privateconsultants. These specialists aretackling a range of geological andecological issues around a central themeof the plate tectonic development of S.EAsia, the stratigraphic response, and theaffect this has on coral reef, sea-grass,and mangrove biota. The initial focusof the group is to compile and interpretfaunal turnover data to investigatethe Indo-Pacifi c longitudinal diversitygradient. The Centre sponsored an initialmeeting of the group in Leiden, theNetherlands, in December.Research on water quality commencedin 2006 in Princess Charlotte Bay, inthe northern GBR, a new collaborationbetween the ARC Centre and theAustralian Institute of Marine Science.The principal researchers involved areMalcolm McCulloch, Stacy Jupiter,Janice Lough and Katarina Fabricius. Aseries of coral cores have been collectedfrom reefs offshore from the mouthsof the Normanby and Kennedy Riverswhich drain into the bay. These coreswill provide a continuous 100-200 yeargeochemical record of changes in waterquality along an inshore to outer reefgradient. Preliminary observationsalready suggest that previous perceptionsregarding the relatively pristine nature ofthe region may have been ill-founded.Community participation in Program 1and 4 in 2006 is exemplified by ongoingresearch addressing long-term changes inwater quality in the Mackay-Whitsundayregion of the central Great BarrierReef. This project, involving ProfessorsHoegh-Guldberg (UQ) and McCulloch(ANU), PhD student Guy Marion, andresearch fellow Stacy Jupiter, hasdemonstrated the strong connectivitybetween coral reefs and the adjacentPioneer River catchment and estuariesbordering the reef. The project isreceiving considerable support by theMackay Council, the Mackay-WhitsundayNatural Resource Management Groupand GBRMPA, but also notably thewider Mackay community. The ARCCentre continues to provide advice to theMackay City Council, which has a veryactive program in improving water qualityvia improvements in storm-water outletsand fl ood mitigation.14

Media ReleaseOcean breakthrough onglobal warmingA major discovery in Program 1 has opened the way for researchers to measure the ability ofthe world’s oceans to absorb man-made CO 2- a key factor in global warming. The discoveryby Professor Malcolm McCulloch, deputy director of the Australian Research Council Centre ofExcellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and colleagues from Italian research institutionsled by Dr Paolo Montagna, will allow researchers to see far into the past to understand thebiological and chemical makeup of the oceans. This may solve one of the biggest questionsfacing global warming: whether or not the oceans can keep pace with human CO 2output.Professor McCulloch’s findings are published in 2006 in the international journal Science. They reveal a wayto calculate the amount of phosphorus, a nutrient of vital importance to all life.“Now that we have this tool we can look more closely at the role of nutrients in the ocean and try andunderstand, in a lot more detail, how they operated in the past,” says Prof. McCulloch. “We can now fi ndout how the oceans responded to previous increases in carbon dioxide (CO 2) and how quickly they canabsorb it,” he says.The tool could help answer one of the biggest questions in the global warming debate: whether the‘biologic pump’, through which the oceans naturally absorb CO ²from the atmosphere, can keep pace withthe vast amounts now being produced by humans.Plants and animals in the oceans’ surface waters drive the ‘biologic pump’ by taking up much of the CO 2from the air and storing it inside their bodies. Eventually the CO ²stored in their bodies descends to thedeep ocean and becomes part of the sea fl oor. The turbulent mixing of the oceans also helps to absorb CO 2.Scientists fear that if the ‘biologic pump’ cannot keep up with human CO 2emissions, the waters of theoceans will become more acid. This could hinder the growth of coral reefs, and may also be detrimental toother plants and animals that are critical to the operation of biological pump, which could ultimately lead tothe collapse of one of the main systems that helps to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.The more plants and animals in the ocean the more productive it becomes and the more the ‘biologicpump’ can absorb greenhouse gases. The productivity of an area of ocean is indicated by the amount ofphosphorus in it. “Phosphorus is a key nutrient in the ocean that limits or controls biological productivity.Organisms use it up and because there is only so much available, there is a limit to how many organismsthere can be,” explains Prof. McCulloch.“We can go back in time and look at the past history of the earth and look at how it reacted,” saysMcCulloch, “This complements ongoing studies of our oceans, because the dilemma is that you often don’tknow whether we are in an irreversible situation till after it has happened, so we try to better understandthese processes by looking at how the planet has responded in the past.”This view into the past is made possible because of Prof. McCulloch’s discovery that the preservedskeletons of ancient deep sea corals store phosphorous in exactly the same amounts as the surroundingoceans. By using sophisticated and accurate dating methods on the corals he can piece togetherinformation on the oceans as far back as the last glacial period, nearly 20 000 years ago.Prof. McCulloch plans to use the newly discovered tool in future studies to provide a ‘health check-up’of the biologic pump in order to see whether it will be able to keep up with the rate of greenhouse gasemissions from humans.5 July 200615

Program 2:Understanding andManaging Coral ReefBiodiversityResearchersDavid Bellwood (Program Leader)Andrew Baird (Research Fellow)Sean ConnollyTerry Hughes (Research Fellow)Geoffrey JonesRonald KarlsonPippa Moore (Research Fellow)Philip Munday (Research Fellow)John PandolfiMorgan Pratchett (Research Fellow)Robert SteneckThough widely recognized as a criticalfactor for the maintenance of robustecosystems, biodiversity at local andglobal scales is poorly understood.Program 2 aims to understand themechanisms and processes that maintaincoral reef biodiversity, using a combinationof mathematical modeling and fieldstudies. This multi-disciplinary approachinforms knowledge-based managementof biodiversity resulting in environmental,social and economic benefit to tropicalmaritime nations.Australian Research Fellow, PhilipMunday, in collaboration with colleaguesat the University of California SantaBarbara, has identified the mechanismsunderlying the diverse sexual strategiesin sex-changing fishes. Munday’s 2006research, published in Proceedings of theRoyal Society, showed that the interplaybetween genes and the environment earlyin life plays a key role in which individualsbecome primary males or females. Thisresearch contributes to the increasingappreciation of the diversity and flexibilityof sexual strategies in fishes.In a related study, Mark McCormick foundthat stressed fish have smaller offspring,with lower chances of survival. Theability to cope with stress – and producelarge, healthy fry – determines whichfemales contribute to future generationsand influences the resilience of fishpopulations. Mark and Geoff Jones havesecured a 3-year contract with the NatureConservancy to monitor coral reef health,biodiversity and fisheries resources in 4local marine reserves in Kimbe Bay, PapuaNew Guinea. The project will analyze theefficiency of current marine conservationefforts and use this data to implementfuture marine conservation strategies inthe Bay.The increasing violence of storms underglobal climate change will have majoreffects on coral reefs – and has importantimplications for their future management.In a paper in Nature, JCU graduateJoshua Madin and Sean Connolly usemathematical models to calculate theforces that coral is subjected to by wave,storm surge or tsunami, and the probabilityof the colonies being dislodged from thesea-bed. These new models provide anessential tool to predict how coral reefswill look under different future scenarios,and to plan accordingly.Understanding, predicting and managingthe potential impacts of climate changeon coral reef ecosystems is a major focusof many of the Centre’s projects. In 2006,Program 2 researchers examined theeffects of climate-induced coral depletionon coral reef fishes, in collaborationwith colleagues from the University ofNewcastle-upon-Tyne and UC SantaBarbara. Work was conducted in Australia,Fiji, French Polynesia, PNG, and atseveral locations in the Indian Ocean,highlighting a new area of expertisewithin the ARC Centre. For example, ateam led by Australian Research FellowMorgan Pratchett documented significantpopulation declines and localizedextinctions of coral-feeding butterflyfisheson the Great Barrier Reef, following coralbleaching. Morgan and Andrew Bairdalso gave a series of briefings in 2006to the Western Australia oil and gasindustry, on a range of issues, includingthe use of coral spawning predictionsfor management, the scale of spatialstock-recruitment relationships, and theconsequences of recruitment failure ofcoral reef organisms.A series of high-profile publications in2006 and 2007 demonstrate that fishwill play a vital role in the response ofAustralia’s Great Barrier Reef to climatechange. A team of 8 researchers fromProgram 2 and 5, led by Centre DirectorTerry Hughes, undertook a large-scalefish-exclusion experiment to explore therole of herbivorous fishes in bolstering theresilience of corals to global warming.The experiment tracked the recovery ofcorals following severe bleaching, in areasof reef where fish were experimentallyexcluded, and on adjacent areas withina no-fishing zone. In the absence of fish,the corals failed to recover, and instead aphase-shift occurred from dominance bycorals to a reef covered by dense standsof seaweed. Where fish were abundant,coral cover more than doubled, and noalgal bloom occurred. The team concludedthat maintaining intact fish populationswill be vital to successfully managing theresilience of tropical coral reefs from theimpacts of climate change and humanactivity. These results strongly supportmanagement strategies of the GreatBarrier Reef Marine Park Authority andother coral reef agencies worldwide. Theimportance of this project is accentuatedby the findings of the April 6 th 2007 reportof the IPCC, which the ARC Centre ofExcellence contributed to.16

Media ReleaseScientists torpedoreef theoryThree James Cook University researchers at the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies(CoECRS) have called for the worldwide networking of tropical marine parks and protected areas tolimit the risk of large-scale extinctions under global change, in the light of new scientific fi ndings. Theirresearch, published in March 2006 in the international science journal Nature, fi nds evidence from sitesacross the Pacific Ocean to refute the "neutral theory of biodiversity", which had been proposed as aframework for conservation.“Worldwide, coral reefs are in decline – and it’s clear that current management approaches are notworking,” says the study’s lead author, Dr Maria Dornelas. “We wanted to fi nd out whether this newtheory provided a way forward. So we decided to ask the corals.”Dr Dornelas and Centre researcher Dr Sean Connolly, both of James Cook University, tested the theory’spredictions by teaming up with Centre Director Professor Terry Hughes, who had recently completed ahuge survey of coral diversity at 180 sites spread over 10,000 kms from Sulawesi to French Polynesia.“Not only did we fi nd that the theory didn’t work,” says Dr Connolly, “it failed in a completelyunexpected way, totally different from what critics of the neutral theory had been expecting. By lookingclosely at how and why the theory failed, we gained some new insights into how coral reefs sustain somany species.”Their research has been hailed by Nature as “a paper that will turn our attention in a completelynew direction”, in a commentary by Dr John Pandolfi of the University of Queensland. It “has clearlyinvigorated the debate over the importance of biological details in determining the co-existence ofspecies within communities,” he saysNeutral theory argues that coral species colonise reefs in a random way, much like a lottery. Howeverthe team’s studies of living reefs revealed that location and environmental change play a critical role indetermining what sorts of corals settle and flourish – and which ones fail to establish.This has major implications for the long-term survival of corals – and for how marine conservation areasare managed, Dr Connolly says. “Just because a particular location’s environment suits some corals’specifi c strengths now, doesn’t mean that it will always be so. Corals need to disperse their offspringwidely, so that when conditions change, some of their offspring are in places where the environmenthas become more suitable for them.”The team likens this approach to biodiversity management to maintaining a balanced portfolio ofinvestments on the stock market. Leaving all your money in one stock increases the risk of a mishap– a broad spread cushions the impact. “Most marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world are toosmall and too isolated to preserve the links between populations on different reefs. This increases therisk that a rare group of animals could go extinct unless they can colonise a more favourable reef,” saysProfessor Hughes. “The recent re-zoning of the Great Barrier Reef is a step in the right direction, but weneed to see MPAs networked worldwide across national borders to help reefs cope with the large-scaleenvironmental changes expected with global warming.”2 March 200617

Program 3:Marine Reserves andReef ConnectivityResearchersGarry Russ (Program Leader)Glenn Almany (Research Fellow)Andrew Baird (Research Fellow)David BellwoodSean ConnollyTerry Hughes (Research Fellow)Geoffrey JonesMichael KingsfordLaurence McCookMark McCormickMark MeekanPhilip Munday (Research Fellow)Serge PlanesJohn PandolfiMorgan Pratchett (Research Fellow)Garry RussBette WillisNetworks of marine reserves (no-takezones) are used to manage biodiversityand fi sheries. Consequently, zoning formultiple levels of usage and protectionis fast becoming the principal mode ofmanagement of maritime resources.An improved understanding of marineconnectivity and barriers to dispersal iscentral to this endeavor.Centre research fellow Glenn Almany andcolleagues have continued to developnovel methods for direct marking oflarval fi shes, and have conducted anumber of trials in Australia, Indonesiaand PNG, using a range of reef fi sh,including several of major commercialand recreational importance (e.g. largegroupers, including coral trout). Theseexperiments employ enriched isotopelarval markers to quantify exchangeamong adjacent subpopulations andexamine export of larvae from their natalreef. A key paper, based on these newtechnologies, is in press in Science.In 2006, Program Leader Garry Russand colleagues completed the fi rstfi eld assessments of the new re-zoningon nearshore reefs the Great BarrierReef Marine Park. Initial data from theWhitsunday Islands indicated a relativelyfast and positive response of targetedreef fi sh populations to the new zoning.Geoff Jones, Glen Almany and Garryalso began pilot experiments to test ifno-take zones in the Keppel Islands ofGreat Barrier Reef (GBR) export larvaeof commercially and recreationallyimportant reef fi sh to adjacent fi shedareas. Clearly, this work is highly relevantfor numerous management agenciesresponsible for the sustainability of theGBR Marine Park.Garry continues to work in the Philippineswith colleague Angel Alcala, with theimplementation of a major new researchprogram in 2006. It will produce anoceanographic and larval dispersalmodel of the region (the Bohol Sea) and arigorous biogeographic description of thecoral reef fauna. This new informationwill be used as inputs into a major siteselectionprocess to assist in designingand expanding the marine reservenetwork in the Philippines.Geoff Jones and Partner InvestigatorSerge Planes from the University ofPerpignan have been awarded additionalfunding from the Coral Reef Initiative ofthe South Pacifi c (CRISP) program. Theirproject will provide critical information onthe size and spacing of marine protectedareas, and develop an understandingof how reef fi sh populations are likelyto respond to increasing scales of coralreef degradation. Geoff and Canadiancolleague Peter Sale will lead a jointARC Centre of Excellence-World BankGlobal Environment Fund (GEF) workshopin Townsville next year on “New insightsinto connectivity and implications forcoral reef management”.Program 3 has clearly defi ned and directlinks to Program 1 (contemporary andhistorical fi shing levels on the GreatBarrier Reef), Program 2 (managementof biodiversity within and outside marinereserves), Program 4 (prevalence ofcoral diseases inside and outside marinereserves) and Program 5 (communitybasedmanagement of marine reservesand its relationship to social andgovernance systems).18

Media ReleaseNo-fish zones boostcoastal communitiesEvidence is emerging from around the world that ‘no fi shing’ zones can lead to better catches and moreincome for coastal communities. A triumphant 30-year experiment in no-fishing zones in the Philippines hasled to recovery in depleted fi sh stocks, improved fi sh catches outside the zone and higher tourist income forcoastal communities. The findings of the research, published in a major review paper in Ambio during 2006,have major implications for Australia’s coastal towns and cities, says Professor Garry Russ, Program 3 Leaderat the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.In the 1970s and 1980s Philippines coral reefs and fisheries were devastated by reef bombing and by ‘muroami’ harvesters. “These are the marine equivalent of forestry clear-felling, in which industrial-scale vesselsplunder all of the living resources off reefs using armies of fishers and gleaners,” Prof. Russ explains.The southern Philippines has now become the cradle of an international revolution in the way marineresources are managed. This began in the early to mid 1970’s when areas were closed to fishing at two smallislands in the southern Philippines, Sumilon and Apo.“These were the sites of the fi rst, and still the best known, no-take marine reserves in the country, establishedby my colleague Dr. Angel Alcala,” Prof. Russ says. “These islands have produced some of the best evidenceavailable that no-take marine reserves, protected and managed by local communities, can play a key role inbiodiversity conservation and fi sheries management.“The success of these two small no-take reserves and their associated marine resource management hashelped establish a network of no-take reserves across the entire Philippines. There are 64 no-take reservesin the southern Philippines, with 600 now established across the whole island chain, as communities fight tobring back their threatened way of life.”Prof. Russ says the expansion of no-take reserves has contributed substantially to a major shift in nationalpolicy of management of marine resources. Management responsibility has been partly devolved to localgovernments and communities which now co-manage, with the national government, marine resources out to15 km from the coast.“I think it is the thing I am most proud of in my scientific career,” Prof. Russ refl ects. “The no-take zones havereturned power over their resources to local communities. These coastal communities have largely excludedthe plunderers, and now have the legal right to do so.”Importantly too, the work of Prof. Russ and his colleagues has demonstrated that no-take zones can, in thelong-term, improve the socio-economic conditions of coastal communities, especially in developing nations.Professor Russ says there are important take-home lessons for the management of Australia’s coral reefsfrom this story. The recent rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef, which established a network of no-fi shing zonescovering 33 per cent of the Marine Park, had as its objective protection of biodiversity and bioregions.“This will likely help sustain substantial national income from tourism. What is less appreciated is that therezoning may also help to sustain coral reef fi sheries in the long-term.“The Philippine experience also suggests that when implementing major change in marine resourcemanagement, coastal communities should be involved in the decision-making process from the outset.“20 June 200619

Program 4:Genetic, molecular andphysiological processesResearchersOve Hoegh-Guldberg (Program Leader)Ken AnthonyLine Bay (Research Fellow)Sophie DoveBill Leggatt (Research Fellow)David MillerMadeleine van OppenMauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty (ResearchFellow)Bette WillisDavid YellowleesThis diverse program seeks tounderstand coral reef processes ata molecular and physiological levelto examine potential mechanismsfor adaptation and acclimatization toenvironmental change. Specifi c areasof study include biochemical analysis ofcoral-zooxanthellae interactions, coralbleaching, physiology, sub-lethal stressindicators, energetic modeling, coraldiseases and genomics.Centre fellow Bill Leggat moved fromthe UQ node of the Centre to take up apermanent lectureship position at JCU,while Chief Investigator Ken Anthonymoved from JCU to UQ. Two newfellows were also appointed, Line Bayin Townsville, and Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty in Brisbane. Program Leader, OveHoegh-Guldberg, chairs the World BankGlobal Environmental Fund (GEF) WorkingGroup on Coral Bleaching. In 2006, theARC Centre initiated joint workshops,co-funded postdoctoral positions, anddeveloped several new research projectsinvolving GEF researchers.Bette Willis led a major expansion in2006 of the Centre’s research focus oncoral disease. Bette is Co-Chair (withher colleague, Drew Harvell from CornellUniversity) of the World Bank GlobalEnvironmental Fund (GEF) WorkingGroup on Coral Disease. In January,she and Program 4 Leader Ove Hoegh-Guldberg organized a joint ARC Centre ofExcellence-GEF international workshopon “Integrating the GBR into a GlobalResearch Plan for the Study of CoralDisease” In April, Bette led a capacitybuildingworkshop for East African coralreef managers sponsored by the WorldBank GEF Program, the ARC Centre, anda consortium of government agenciesand NGOs. In June, she presented anoverview of coral disease on the GBRand Indo-Pacifi c to NOAA’s (NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration)Coral Disease and Health ConsortiumWorkshop, in Honolulu. Willis is alsocoordinating an international committeeto develop standard nomenclature andsurvey methods for Indo-Pacific coralsdiseases, for publication as a NOAATechnical Report. In July, she provideda background briefi ng paper on coraldisease on the Great Barrier Reefat the request of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency Brisbane for theQueensland State Minister for theEnvironment. Fieldwork this yearfocussed on identifying links betweenthermal anomalies and coral disease, topredict the impact of global warming onemergent disease dynamics.Centre fellow Line Bay, PartnerInvestigator Madeleine Van Oppenand Bette Willis launched a new setof collaborative projects that willinvestigate the potential for adaptationby corals and their symbionts. Initialwork is focussing on estimating thelevel of genetic connectivity amongGBR populations of corals and theiralgal endosymbionts, and on identifyingmechanisms of adaptation by coralpopulations to climate change. This workincludes a common-garden experiment,designed to determine whether geneexpression differences are maintainedbetween populations from differentthermal environments.A series of papers by Ken Anthony,Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and others, onphysiological responses to environmentalstressors were completed this year. Theyall address key environmental issueson coral reefs (thermal and light stress,water quality and sedimentation). SophieDove demonstrated the role of coralpigments in facilitating photosynthesis.A series of experiments were undertakento successfully infect juvenile corals withspecifi c strains of symbionts under arange of temperature and light regimes.A large team of researchers in Program 4,led by Bill Leggat and Dave Miller, havealso developed expanded microarraysfor Acropora and Symbiodinium in 2006,setting the scene for activities nextyear that will contribute significantly tounderstand the molecular and geneticresponse of the coral-dinoflagellateholobiont to thermal stress.20

Media ReleaseScientists check thehealth of the reefIn a major checkup of the health of the central Great Barrier Reef, scientists report that while corals on theouter reef are in excellent condition, coral health is in sharp decline close to the Queensland coast. Inshorecorals have been seriously affected by losing the competition for space with seaweed. The increasedcompetitiveness of seaweeds has been triggered by increased nutrients and sediment moving off theland (over many years) and now coral bleaching caused by the hot summer, reports Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Program 4 Leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.A 9-day underwater survey by 14 researchers covering a 150-kilometre transect of reef running due eastfrom Mackay found that the effects of poor water quality and coral bleaching were plainly evident oninshore reefs.“Our results indicate that stresses to reef health occur along a gradient,” says Guy Marion, a PhDresearcher working on the project. “[Inshore] we observed low coral and fish abundance, and consistentbleaching across all reefs, however further offshore we observed intact, healthy reef structure and virtuallyno bleaching from the stress we saw earlier this year,” he says.Guy Marion is also working on a novel method for assessing the condition of the reef over the past 200years. His research involves drilling cores from long-lived corals using underwater air tools, which arethen analysed for trace metal elements and nitrogen isotopic “signatures” within the skeleton. The cores,which can be up to 2.5m long, can take over an hour of patient drilling underwater to collect. They are thentransported to the lab and sliced into thin sections where analysis of the organic matter – just 0.01% of theskeleton– begins.Sections of the core showing an abnormal jump in the nitrogen “signature” can pinpoint past flood eventsand changes in nutrient sources in the water – a possible sign of man-made pollution. Each section ofthe core can be dated, giving a timeline of water quality for the region, in some cases extending back tothe 1880s – prior to European settlement. These changes in the GBR lagoon health can then be matchedto records on coastal development, temperature, rainfall and fl oods, in order to identify the sources ofpollution.“The project is trying to put numbers on the steady, long-term change in GBR water quality, in order togauge current conditions relative to baseline, pre-European water quality. We want to know how inshorereef health has changed in response to coastal land clearing for city building and farming,” say Marion.Marion’s work will be combined with the work of his supervisors and colleagues, Postdoctoral Fellow StacyJupiter and Professor Malcolm McCulloch, who are each using new techniques to provide fresh insights intothe historical relationship between water quality and reef health in the GBR. “We hope that this approachof integrating multiple land, satellite, and coral based techniques can become a blueprint study for reefstudies worldwide,” says Marion.The survey is part of a three year project which, on completion, will provide a detailed diagnosis of aspectsof the health of the central Great Barrier Reef, both past and present, so that policies and practices can befurther developed to ensure that coastal development and reef use is sustainable in the future.The survey is part of a collaborative research project between leading members in Programs 1 and 4 of theARC Centre of Excellence and Stanford University in California.7 August 200621

Program 5:Resilience of linkedsocial-ecological systemsResearchersTerry Hughes (Program Leader)Andrew Baird (Research Fellow)David BellwoodKathleen Broderick (ResearchFellow)Joshua Cinner (Research Fellow)Kathryn Ferguson (Research Fellow)Simon Foale (Research Fellow)Carl FolkeLaurence McCookSusan McIntyre-Tamwoy (ResearchFellow)John PandolfiGarry RussRobert SteneckThis new program seeks to provide newsolutions to managing resilience andcoping with change, uncertainty, risk andsurprise in complex social-ecologicalsystems. The objective is to improve thegovernance and management of naturalsystems and enhance their capacityto sustain human and natural capital.Innovative multi-disciplinary researchcombines expertise on coral reef biology,management, governance, economicsand social sciences.Program 5 was initiated in 2006,rapidly building up steam throughthe recruitment this year of fi ve newpostdoctoral fellows, and via a series ofinternational working groups. In March,the Centre hosted a week-long meetingwith the Resilience Alliance, whichincluded the development of new toolsfor managing social-ecological resilience,in collaboration with Partner InvestigatorLaurence McCook and end-users from theGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.In August, the ARC Centre conveneda second working group meeting onfi sheries management at the Universityof Maine, in collaboration with PartnerInvestigator Bob Steneck. In September,Director Terry Hughes travelled toStockholm to liaise with PartnerInvestigator Carl Folke on developingprojects and further links with theBeijer Institute and the new StockholmResilience Centre. In October, he alsomet with the steering committee for theWorld Bank Coral Reef Targeted Researchprogram in Mexico, to build on ourexisting research and training activities.The publication outputs from Program5 in 2006 included two policy articlesin Science, on the resilience of coastalcommunities to environmental disasters,and on the economics and governance offi sheries. Andrew Baird and colleaguesalso published a series of infl uentialpapers on the aftermath of the Asiantsunami and management of coastalresources in Indonesia. Other highlightsinclude:Research Fellow Susan McIntyre-Tamwoywas invited in 2006 by the Department ofEnvironment and Heritage to take on therole of Secretariat to the National CultureHeritage Forum (NCHF). The NCHF iscomprised of the heads of the peakcultural heritage NGOs in Australia. Itmeets with the Commonwealth Ministerresponsible for heritage twice a year andmore frequently with senior offi cials ofthe Department to discuss matter relatingto National heritage interests.Research Fellow Josh Cinner led a newteam that conducted extensive field workin Tanzania this year on socioeconomicaspects of coral reef management. Partof his fi eld work involved training offour NGO and government employeesin socioeconomic data collection andanalysis (personnel from The KenyaSea Turtle Conservation Committee(KESCOM), the Tanzanian Institute forMarine Science, and the Tanga CoastalZone Conservation and DevelopmentProject). This project included a seriesof presentations of results to bothcommunities and government agenciesacross Northern Tanzania and Zanzibar.Outcomes of these presentations includeuptake of the results by governmentpolicy-makers in the Tanga area ofTanzania. In particular, the TanzanianFisheries Department has modified theuse of beach seine nets and is amendinglegislation to regulate their use in openwaters.Senior Fellow Simon Foale and hiscolleagues Mouli MacKenzie and MarthaMacintyre undertook research with thePNG Education Department, and teachersand students of New Ireland Province,PNG. The work is about designing anddelivering scientifi c education materialson the environmental impacts of miningin PNG, funded by the mining industry.The outputs will be published in bookletand DVD formats for all schools in NewIreland Province. Simon also undertookconsultancy work in 2006 for the AusaidCommunity Sector Program (CSP), trainingSolomon Islanders in systems andapproaches for minimizing environmentalimpacts associated with the delivery ofinfrastructure (hospitals, clinics, schools),water supplies, and with new sustainablefi sheries and mariculture initiatives.22

Media ReleaseOf urchins and rovingbanditsIn an article in the leading journal Science an international team of researchers say that highly mobilefi shing enterprises – which they describe as ‘roving bandits’ – are plundering marine resources at anunsustainable rate, threatening the collapse of ecosystems and eroding the ability to sea-life to withstandclimate change. The raiders clean out entire fisheries and then move on to the next resource beyond thereach of local authorities, in a worldwide marine version of the “tragedy of the commons”, warn 15 leadingecologists, social scientists and resource economists.“What makes roving banditry different from most commons dilemmas is that a new dynamic has arisenin the globalized world: new markets can develop so rapidly that the speed of resource exploitation oftenoverwhelms the ability of local institutions to respond,” says Professor Fikret Berkes of the University ofManitoba, Canada.“Today, the intense targeting of key species by these mobile roving bandits can seriously destabilizemarine systems, causing unpredictable collapses,” warns Professor Terry Hughes, Director of theAustralian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesThe study cites the case of a sea urchin fishery in Maine, USA. “The urchins underwent a boom followingthe collapse of the cod fishery, then were targeted for the sushi market and collapsed in turn withinsix years. The sea urchin fi shery in Maine resulted in one of the largest ecosystem-scale changes in acoastal zone attributable to a single fishery. The ripple effects are seen throughout Maine's 3000 milecoastline," adds Prof. Bob Steneck of Maine University, who is also a Partner Investigator in the ARCCentre.“Ecologically, the consequences of roving banditry are clear: the simplification of food webs andloss of biodiversity are eroding the resilience of marine ecosystems and increasing their vulnerabilityto environmental change,” says Professor David Bellwood, a senior researcher at the ARC Centre ofExcellence for Coral Reef Studies.“Depletion of herbivorous fishes has contributed to algal blooms on reefs because algae released fromtheir consumers out-compete corals for space. Consequently, overfi shed reefs are less resilient torecurrent disturbances such as hurricanes, and more vulnerable to coral bleaching and mortality caused byglobal warming,” says Prof. Bellwood.“Even the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the largest in the world, is too small to fully maintain all theturtles, fish and sharks that swim in and out of its boundaries,” adds Australia’s Prof. Hughes.The 15 researchers are calling for urgent action at global, regional, national and local scales to bringoverfi shing under control and prevent fresh disasters. This includes enforcing local property rights andlicensing, closing areas to fishing, reforming markets and using fl exible management approaches that canadapt quickly to changing circumstances.“It will also require extensive education and behavioural change in the consumers whose demands drivethe industry economically”, Professor Bellwood adds.17 March 200623

StudentsThe ARC Centre of Excellence is theworld’s largest provider of graduatetraining in coral reef science. TheCentre’s goal is to build human capacityand expertise in coral reef science, bysupporting and training outstandingstudents. Approximately $3.5 millionof our ARC award for 2005-2010 isearmarked in support of the researchcosts of student projects. In addition,the Centre's Student Committee hasbeen provided with $40,000 for studentmentoring activities each year.In 2006, 22 Honours, 20 Masters and90 PhD students were supportedand supervised by Centre personnel.Graduate students are heavily involvedin new multi-nodal (video-conferenced)research seminars and quarterly review/planning meetings for each of theCentre's Programs. In addition, 35 studentmembers of the ARC Centre currentlyhave multi-institutional supervisoryarrangements. At JCU, 8 of the Centre’sstudents are also members of AIMS@JCU. Students and their projectsare highlighted on the ARC Centre'swebsite at www.coralcoe.org.au/people-students.htmlThe Centre convened a NationalMentoring Day in August 2006following the Australian Coral ReefSociety symposium in Mission Beach,Queensland. The event was attended by54 PhD and Masters students from sevenuniversities, and focused on enhancingstudents’ research and publicationskills. Discussions were led by TerryHughes (JCU), Ove Hoegh-Guldberg(UQ), Laurie McCook (GBRMPA) andMorgan Pratchett (JCU). The Centrealso provided two workshops in 2006to assist students at JCU, UQ and ANUin preparing postdoctoral fellowshipapplications. As a result, ten fellowshipproposals were submitted in the currentARC round. Five $1000 prizes for theARC Centre's Best Student Papers for2006 were awarded to Tracy Ainsworth(UQ), Bridget Ayling (ANU), MariaDornelas (JCU), Mia Hoogenboom(JCU), and Ailsa Kerswell (JCU). Mariaalso received a University Medal fromJCU for an outstanding PhD thesis.At the end of 2006, the Centre recruiteda new student administrator, OlgaBazaka, who will liaise closely withthe Centre's students and the StudentCommittee. In 2007, student mentoringworkshops will be held in Fremantle,WA , in October. Student members willalso be actively participating in theARC Centre’s National Forum of CoralReef Futures, which will be held atthe Australian Academy of Science, inCanberra on October 17-19th, 2007.The ARC Centre’s international network of students. In 2006, 64 of the ARC Centre’s graduate students came to Australia from 29 countries.25

2006 Student members of the ARC Centre of ExcellenceSTUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSDavid Abrego(JCU, AIMS)MexicoFlexibility in coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis: implications for adaptation toclimate change. (PhD)A.Prof B Willis,Dr M van OppenTracy Ainsworth (UQ)AustraliaMicrobial and histopathological changes associated with coral disease andstress on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergShelley Anthony(JCU)USA Tissue sloughing and coral disease in a large-scale reef mesocosm. (PhD) A.Prof B WillisBridget Ayling(ANU)NewZealandReconstruction of past interglacial climates using geochemical proxies infossil Porites corals and giant Tridacna clams. (PhD)Prof M McCullochRay Bannister(JCU, UQ)Australia Sponge energetics: implications for aquaculture practices. (PhD) Dr K AnthonyBrian Beck(UQ, JCU)USAPalaeoecological dynamics of coral communities along a disturbancegradient, Solomon Islands. (PhD)A.Prof J Pandolfi, Dr SConnollyMaria Beger(UQ, JCU)GermanyBiodiversity, complementarity and rules for the selection of sites for marinereserves. (PhD)Dr G JonesVictor Beltran Ramirez(JCU, AIMS)MexicoMolecular aspects of the coral-algal symbiosis. (PhD)Prof D Miller, Prof DYellowlees, Dr M vanOppenRose Berdin(ANU)PhilippinesHolocene palaeoclimate history of the Northern Indo-Pacific warm pool fromraised coral reefs in the Philippines. (PhD)Prof M McCullochMichael Berumen(JCU)USAInfluence of resource availability on life-history traits of coral feedingbutterfly fi shes. (Pisces: Chaetodontidae). (PhD)Dr M Pratchett, Dr GJonesMaria Berzunza-Sanchez(UQ)MexicoHistorical ecology of Papua New Guinea. (Hons)A.Prof J Pandolfi, Dr PMooreBernardo Blanco-Martin(JCU)SpainDispersal of coral larvae: a modelling perspective on its determinants andimplications. (PhD)Prof T HughesTeresa Bobesko(UQ, JCU)AustraliaThe effects of different Ci concentrations on the photosynthesis ofendosymbionts in scleractenian corals. (Hons)Dr S Dove, Dr W LeggatLynda Boldt(UQ)AustraliaSymbiodinium photosynthetic genes and the effect of varying environmentalconditions on photosynthetic processes. (PhD)Dr S Dove, Dr W LeggatRoberta Bonaldo(JCU)BrazilThe role of parrot fishes grazing in the benthic community structure of theGreat Barrier Reef. (PhD)Prof D Bellwood, Dr SConnollyMary Bonin(JCU)USAInvestigating the mechanisms of predation: functional response, selectivity,and the effects of habitat complexity on a coral reef piscivore. (MSc)Dr G JonesHolly Boyett(JCU, AIMS)USAThe ecology and microbiology of black band disease and brown bandsyndrome on the Great Barrier Reef. (MSc)A.Prof B WillisDan Breen(JCU, UTAS)AustraliaField and simulation studies in the design of programs monitoring touristimpacts on coral reefs. (PhD)Dr G JonesKate Bromfield(UQ, CSIRO)AustraliaAdaptation and Evolution of Coral Species during the Miocene-Pliocenefaunal turnover, across the Indo-Pacific region. (PhD)A.Prof J PandolfiSamantha Burgess(ANU)Australia Geochemical Ecology of a Temperate Coral. (PhD) Prof M McCullochNeal Cantin(JCU, AIMS)CanadaEffects of the herbicide diuron on coral reproduction and larval competency.(PhD)A.Prof B Willis26

STUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSMike Cappo(JCU)AustraliaInfluences of habitat and ontogeny on composition and size structures ofdemersal fish communities on tropical shelves. (PhD)Prof M KingsfordAndrew Cole(JCU)AustraliaPrevalence and importance of corallivory in labrid fishes. (Hons)Dr G Jones, Dr MPratchettTimothy Cooper(JCU, AIMS, UQ)AustraliaPhysiological and ecological health/stress indicators of the effects of waterquality on nearshore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. (MSc)Dr K Anthony, Prof MKingsfordMelissa Cowlishaw(JCU)AustraliaDeterminants of home range and territorial behaviour in coral reef fishes:roles of body size, habitat structure and population density. (PhD)Dr G Jones, Dr MMcCormickVivian Cumbo(JCU)AustraliaThermal tolerance in corals: the role of the symbiont. (PhD)Prof T Hughes, Dr ABairdKathy Danaher(JCU)AustraliaNatural diets and aquaculture of ornate rock lobster larvae, Panulirusornatus. (PhD)Prof M KingsfordJoanne Davy(UQ)NZCharacterisation of white patch syndrome, a putative disease affectingcorals in the Genus Porites at Heron Island, Australia. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr W LeggatJeffry Deckenback(UQ, Monash)USA Maturation, turn-over, oligomerization, and transport of Pocilloporins. (PhD) Dr S Dove, Dr W LeggatMartial Depczynski(JCU)AustraliaSmall cryptic fishes on coral reefs: a new perspective on reef fish ecologyand life histories. (PhD)Prof D BellwoodAyax Diaz-Ruiz(UQ)MexicoThe use of coral associated fauna as indicators of coral health. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,A.Prof J PandolfiJennifer Donelson(JCU)AustraliaInteractions between parental and environmental effects in a coral reef fish.(Hons)Dr P Munday, Dr MMcCormickMaria Dornelas(JCU)PortugalNeutral coral community dynamics. (PhD)Dr S Connolly, Prof THughesAndrea Downing(JCU, UQ)SwitzerlandFactors that mediate mass bleaching and their relevance to coral bleaching.(MAppSc)Dr K Anthony, Dr SConnollyJanelle Eagle(JCU)AustraliaLocal scale hydrodynamics influence spatial patterns of coral and fi shrecruitment and the diversity of coral reef assemblages. (PhD)Prof M Kingsford, Dr GJonesMaxi Jennifer Eckes(UQ)Germany Ultraviolet sunscreens in reef fish mucus. (PhD) Dr S DoveUdo Engelhardt(UQ)AustraliaCommunity-level ecological responses of coral reef biota to mass coralbleaching events. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergRichard Evans(UQ)Michael Fabinyi(ANU, JCU)Australia Effects of marine reserves on fisheries management. (PhD) Prof G Russ, Dr G JonesAustralia Complexities of illegal fishing in the Calamianes (Philippines). (PhD) Dr S FoaleDavid Feary(JCU)NewZealandThe influence of coral degradation on tropical fi sh community structure. (PhD)Dr G Jones, Dr MMcCormick, Dr G AlmanyIda Fellegara(UQ)Italy Ecology and physiology of corals living in an extreme environment. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergPaul Fisher(UQ)UKInvestigating the photophysiology of Symbiodinium and its relationship tocoral bleaching. (PhD)Dr S Dove, Prof OHoegh-Guldberg27

STUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSRebecca Fox(JCU)UKQuantifying the impact of roving herbivorous fishes across a reef gradient.(Hons)Prof D BellwoodMatthew Fraser(JCU)AustraliaEgg predation at reef fish spawning aggregations: consequences for fitness.(PhD)Dr M McCormick, Dr GJonesAshley Frisch(JCU, Griffith)AustraliaAn investigation of the relationship between social interaction, reproductiveconditions and sex hormones in coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) with anemphasis on the dynamics of sex change. (PhD)Dr M McCormickChris Fulton(JCU)Australia Wave energy and the role of swimming in reef fish ecology. (PhD) Prof D BellwoodMonica Gagliano(JCU)ItalyThe role of selective mortality in the early life history of coral reef fishes.(PhD)Prof M KingsfordNaomi Gardiner(JCU)AustraliaHabitat specialisation, co-occurrence and resting site fidelity in cardinalfishon coral reefs. (PhD)Dr G JonesAlonso Gonzalez-Cabello(JCU)MexicoAspects of cryptobenthic reef fish ecology in the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD)Prof D Bellwood, ProfG RussLuis Gonzalez-Reynoso(JCU, Griffith)Erin Graham(JCU)Marcus Gregson(UTS, JCU)Mexico Mechanisms of stress inhibition of reproduction in Acanthochromis. (PhD) Dr M McCormickUSA The development and calibration of a general model of coral dispersal. (Hons) Dr S Connolly, Dr A BairdAustralia Latitudinal variation in diets of butterfly fi shes. (PhD) Dr M PratchettAndrew Halford(JCU, AIMS)AustraliaThe roles of recruitment and disturbance in assemblages of reef fishes inNW Australia. (PhD)Dr G JonesDavid Harris(UQ)Australia Ecology of high latitude populations of Pomacentrus coelestis. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergMeegan Henderson(UQ)AustraliaMicrobial ecology of coral disease: The use of molecular techniques inunderstanding bacterial community shifts. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergGretta Hillersoy(JCU)Jean-Paul Hobbs(JCU)Norway Gene under selection in coral trout. (Hons) Prof G RussAustralia Geographic clines in species abundances. (PhD) Dr P Munday, Dr G JonesAndrew Hoey(JCU)AustraliaAlgal-herbivore interactions: the role of herbivory in structuring benthic algalcommunities across an exposure gradient. (PhD)Prof D Bellwood, ProfG RussTom Holmes(JCU)Australia Selectivity of predation at settlement. (PhD) Dr M McCormickMia Hoogenboom(JCU, UQ)AustraliaDemographic and energetic correlates of coral life history strategies. (PhD)Dr S Connolly, Dr KAnthonyEmily Howells(JCU, AIMS)AustraliaFine-scale genetic diversity of zooxanthella populations in soft corals throughspace, time and early host development. (Hons)A.Prof B Willis, Dr M vanOppenAkira Iguchi(JCU)Japan Molecular genetics of gamete interactions in corals. (PhD) Prof D MillerJessica Jarret(UQ)USADistribution, function and regulation of pocilloporins (GFP-like proteins) inMontipora digitata on Heron Island reef flat, on the southern GBR. (Hons)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr S DoveJacob Johansen(JCU)DenmarkSwimming ability, refuging behaviour and habitat use of labriform fi shes onthe Great Barrier Reef. (MSc)Prof D Bellwood, Dr SConnolly28

STUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSKerryn Johns(JCU)AustraliaCauses and correlates of female reproductive success in a coral reef fish.(Hons)Dr G JonesPaulina Kaniewska(UQ)SwedenThe effect of bleaching on coral community structure and composition. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr K AnthonyAilsa Kerswell(JCU)AustraliaBiogeography of seaweeds. (PhD)Prof T Hughes, Dr ABairdBrent Knack(JCU)Australia Intregins in the coral Acropora. (Hons) Prof D MillerValeriya Komyakova(JCU)RussiaHabitat specialization in coral reef fishes and its infl uence on patchcomposition and local species diversity. (MSc)Dr G Jones, Dr P MundayNarinatana Kongjandtre(UQ)Thailand Taxonomy of favid corals in Thailand. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergCharlotte Kvennefors(UQ)SwedenImmune molecules in corals. (PhD)Dr W Leggat, Prof OHoegh-GuldbergRachael Lahari (UPNG/WCS)PNGCoral harvesting for lime production at Andra Island, Manus Province, PapuaNew Guinea: Strategies to sustain future harvesting. (Hons)Dr M PratchettNicholas Larsen (JCU/AIMS)USAComparative growth and survival for corals infected with clade C1, C2 and DSymbiodinium. (MAppSc)A.Prof B Willis, Dr M vanOppenAngela Lawton (UQ)USAThe effects of micro-scale variation on the photosynthetic productivity of thesymbiotic algae of reef building corals. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergAnne Leitch (JCU/CSIRO)AustraliaCommunity perceptions and environmental management of the GBRcatchment. (PhD)Prof T HughesTove Lemberget (JCU)AustraliaGrowth and body condition in a tropical larval fish and its importance toreplenishment. (PhD)Dr M McCormickRaechel Littman (JCU/AIMS)USAInvestigation of wild sources of zooxanthellae for infection of corals.(MAppSc)A.Prof B Willis, Dr M vanOppenCarole Lonergan, (JCU)AustraliaThe effect of temperature on Vibrio coralliilyticus disease in Montipora coralsat Magnetic Island. (Hons)A.Prof WillisJessica Maddams (JCU)AustraliaFactors influencing female reproductive output and larval quality of aprotogynous reef fish. (Hons)Dr M McCormickRachel Manassa (JCU)AustraliaThe use of chemical alarm cues for predation risk assessment in coral reeffishes. (Hons)Dr M McCormickThomas Mannering(JCU)USA Does recruitment differ between marine reserves and fished areas? (MSc) Dr G JonesChrystal Mantyka (JCU)CanadaA direct evaluation of macroalgal removal and selectivity by herbivorous reeffishes. (Hons)Prof D BellwoodGuy Marion (UQ/ANU)USANitrogen isotopic composition of coral skeletal organic matter: a tool forprovenance analysis. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Prof M McCulloch,A.Prof J PandolfiAbbi McDonald (JCU)AustraliaThe recovery fast or slow lane: reliance on sexual reproduction, asexualreproduction, and growth on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD)Prof T Hughes, Dr ABaird, Dr M PratchettLuiz Mendes-de Gusmao(JCU)BrazilThe use of biochemical methods for the evaluation of zooplankton secondaryproduction. (PhD)Prof M KingsfordVanessa Messmer (JCU)FranceEcological and evolutionary factors influencing the genetic structure of coralreef fishes. (PhD)Dr G Jones, Dr P Munday29

STUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSRachel Middlebrook(UQ)AustraliaAcclimation of Acropora aspera to thermal stress and the role ofSymbiodinium sp. in thermal tolerance. (Hons)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr W LeggatAnne Mooney (UQ) USA Historical ecology of Indo-Pacific dugongs. (MSc) A.Prof J PandolfiJames Moore (JCU)AustraliaThe impacts of coral bleaching on the early life-history of coral reefdamselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae). (Hons)Dr M McCormick, Dr PMundayBryan Murphy (JCU) USA Conditionality of mutualistic coral reef symbioses. (MSc) Dr G JonesNong Narinrantana (UQ) Australia Systematic and phylogeography of Favia corals in the Western Pacifi c. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr M Rodriguez-LanettyJuan Carlos Ortiz (UQ) Venezuela Eco-physical dynamics of the Heron Island Coral Reef. (PhD) Prof O Hoegh-GuldbergCathie Page (JCU) Australia Prevalence and impact of coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD) A.Prof B WillisAllison Paley (UQ/JCU)USAThe relationship between bleaching tolerance and genotype in Acroporamillepora. (MSc)A.Prof B Willis, Dr KAnthonyPepito (Sonny)Fernandez (ANU/JCU)AustraliaInter-Municipal Alliance for Livelihood and Resource Conservation in MarineProtected Areas in Northeastern Panay, Philippines. (PhD)Dr S FoaleSrisakul Piromvaragorn(JCU)ThailandSpatial patterns in coral communities and recruitment in the Gulf of Thailand.(PhD)Prof T Hughes. Dr ABairdEneour Puill-Stephan(JCU/AIMS)FranceSelf-nonself recognition and chimerism in Acropora millepora and theacquisition of immunity. (PhD)A.Prof B Willis, Dr M vanOppenDingchuang Qu (ANU)ChinaLate Quaternary climate in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool reconstructed fromthe raised coral reefs of Sumba, Indonesia. (PhD)Prof M McCullochJill Quaintance (UQ)USAChanges in coral diversity, growth form and bleaching frequency in GreatBarrier Reef corals: evidence from death assemblages. (Hons)A.Prof J PandolfiKamal Ranatunga (JCU)Sri LankaDemographic plasticity of the exploited reef fishes: a multi-scale perspective.(MSc)Prof G RussCharmaine Read (JCU) Australia Molecular phylogeny of fishes. (PhD) Prof D BellwoodRuth Reef (UQ)IsraelThe effect of temperature on the accumulation and repair of UV damage inzooxanthellae and corals. (PhD)Prof O Hoegh-Guldberg,Dr S Dove, Dr W Leggat.Alejandro Reyes (JCU) Columbia Cellular mechanisms of coral calcification. (PhD)Prof D Miller, Prof DYellowleesClaire Reymond (UQ)AustraliaCommunity variation through the early to mid Holocene period: temporal andecological dynamics of Foraminifera from a fossilised reef system - HuonPeninsula, PNG. (Hons)A.Prof J PandolfiZoe Richards (JCU/MTQ/AIMS)AustraliaRarity in the genus Acropora: genetic consequences and conservation. (PhD)Prof D Miller, Dr M vanOppen, A.Prof B WillisMaria Rodrigues (JCU)Effects of herbivory on coexistence of coral and algae. (PhD)Prof T Hughes, Dr ABairdGeorge Roff (UQ) UK Coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. (PhD)A.Prof J Pandolfi, Prof OHoegh-GuldbergAlexandra-Sophie Roy(JCU)CanadaTrans-generational marking of fish larvae via maternal transmission of stableisotopes in clown fishes. (MSc)Dr G JonesChristopher Ryen (JCU) USA Growth related sex change in coral reef fishes. (MSc)Dr M McCormick, Dr PMunday30

STUDENTCOUNTRYOF ORIGINTHESIS TITLECoE SUPERVISORSArmagan Sabetian (JCU)NZParrotfish fisheries in tropical oceans; an ethnographic and demographicapproach. (PhD)Prof G JonesYacov Salomon (JCU)AustraliaCompetition, connectivity, and coexistence in lottery competition systems.(Hons)Dr S ConnollyEugenia Nijgh deSampayo (UQ)NetherlandsSymbiodinium diversity and the ecology of Pocilloporid corals. (PhD)Dr S Dove, Prof OHoegh-GuldbergAlison Sampey (JCU/AIMS)AustraliaInfluence of environmental conditions on the growth and survival of tropicalfish larvae from the North West Shelf of Australia. (MSc)Dr M McCormick, Dr MMeekanYou Sato (JCU/AIMS) Japan Dynamics of a black band disease outbreak. (MAppSc) A.Prof B WillisFrancois Seneca (JCU/AIMS)MonacoMolecular genetics of stress in corals. (PhD)Prof D Miller, Dr M vanOppenChuya Shinzato (JCU) Japan Evolution of sex determination mechanisms. (PhD)Prof D Miller, Dr DYellowleesSegu Shio (ANU/JCU) Australia Choice of fishing strategies in southeast Cebu, the Philippines. (PhD) Dr S FoaleMichael Short (JCU) Australia The recovery of coral reefs following ship grounding disturbances. (MSc) A.Prof B WillisLuke Smith (JCU/AIMS) Australia Coral bleaching in Western Australia. (PhD) Prof T HughesJeremy Sofonia (JCU/UQ)USASediment responses of corals on inshore reefs, Great Barrier Reef. (MSc)Dr K Anthony, A.Prof BWillisMaya Srinivasan (JCU/AIMS)AustraliaRecruitment in time and space: the dynamics and distribution of reef fishpopulations on a low latitude coral reef. (PhD)Dr M McCormickMeir Sussman (JCU)IsraelPathogens, reservoirs and vectors for coral disease on the GBR and in theIndo-Pacific. (PhD)A.Prof B WillisGrant Taylor (JCU) Australia Influence of sedimentation on coral reef fi sh communities. (MSc) Dr G Jones, Dr P MundayLoc Thibaut (JCU/University Pierre etMarie Curie)FranceModelling approaches to reef ecosystem resilience. (PhD)Prof T Hughes, Dr SConnollyLucia Tomljenovic (JCU)CroatiaExamination of the cellular role of mouse MY044 fly DPIT47 and coralAMTPR1 genes homologs of a putative human tumour suppressor TTC4 gene.(PhD)Prof D MillerAnnamieke van denHeuvel (UQ)AustraliaCharacterization of genes, proteins and the regulatory pathways involvedin nitrogen uptake and assimilation in Acropora sp and its symbiontSymbiodinium sp. (PhD)Dr W Leggat, Dr S DoveIda Vincent (UQ) Sweden Historical ecology of Fiji's coral reefs, and the recent road to recovery. (Hons) A.Prof J PandolfiStefan Walker (JCU)AustraliaThe sociobiology of life history transitions and lifetime fecundity in a tropicalharemic reef fish. (PhD)Dr M McCormick, Dr PMundayRebecca Weeks (JCU) UK Using site selection algorithms to design Marine reserve networks. (PhD) Prof G Russ, Dr G JonesDavid Williamson (JCU)AustraliaFishery effects and benefits of marine protected areas within the GreatBarrier Reef Marine Park. (PhD)Prof G Russ, Dr G JonesMarion Wong (JCU) UK The evolution of monogamy in coral reef fish. (PhD) Dr P Munday, Dr G Jones31

End-User Engagementand Co-investmentIn 2006, the ARC Centre of Excellence engaged with over 60 industry, government and NGO organizations, in many cases for the first time.The Centre has become a major research provider to local, national, and global organisations, informing policy, and providing knowledgeand training to diverse industry partners. Centre of Excellence researchers were major contributors in 2006 to intergovernmentalorganisations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Bank, UNESCO, and the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change, that are involved in key global declarations, World Heritage designations, and endangered or threatened speciesstatus decisions.Knowledge transfer from the ARC Centre of Excellence to industry and governments included new technologies that can better predictcoral bleaching, enhanced understandings of reef responses to climate change, and improvement in the effi ciency of conservation planning.The Centre also provided training to conservation and resource management projects, and to governments and NGOs around the world. Thetable below provides an overview of the year’s activities:I. Providing world-class research and defi ningresearch priorities:Working with industry partners to design applicable research, providing strategic researchdirection, serving on boards and committees, advising governments and NGOs.II. Research Outputs:New discoveries, methodologies and understandings, peer-reviewed publications,reports, conference presentations & proceedings, etc.III. Knowledge Transfer:Providing advice and information to industry, policy-makers, and other end-users;transferring technology; training courses; and informing the general public.IV. End-User Applications:Our research is applied by end-users to improve management practices, e.g. theestablishment and re-zoning of protected areas, initiation of sustainable harvestingprojects, development of sustainable practices, and enactment of policies to ensuredelivery of ecosystem goods and services.32

2006 Summary of End-User Engagement ActivitiesTASKS MAJOR END-USERS KEY RESEARCHERSCentre of Excellence researchersdesign and implement research withindustry partners to directly informresource-management decisionmaking.In particular, we provideresearch on climate change, fishingand protected areas, resilience,shifting-baselines, and coral disease.ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑAusAidBurdekin Dry Tropics NRMGBR Marine Park AuthorityPhilippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesRegional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)Tanzania Fisheries DepartmentThe Nature ConservancyUS Geological Survey (USGS)US National Oceanic & Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)Wildlife Conservation Society (PNG/Indonesia)Almany, Anthony, Baird,Bellwood, Broderick, Cinner,Dove, Foale, Hughes, Jones,Jupiter, McCormick, McCulloch,Munday, Pandolfi , Pratchett,Russ, WillisProviding strategic researchplanning by serving on boards,councils, review committees.ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑAustralian Climate GroupGreat Barrier Reef Research FoundationInternational Coral Reef SocietyThe Beijer International Institute of Ecological EconomicsThe Census of Marine LifeThe Museum of Tropical QueenslandThe Resilience AllianceWorld Bank GEF ProgramHoegh-Guldberg, Hughes, Jones,Kingsford, McCormick, Munday,Pandolfi, Planes, Steneck, WillisEstablishing research consortiumsand international steering groups– for research on coral genomics,resilience-based reef management,integrating human and coral health.ÑÑÑÑIUCNNOAA - National Ocean ServiceUSA National Science FoundationWestern Pacific Fishery Management CouncilCinner, Dove, Hughes, Leggat,Miller, Pandolfi , WillisAdvising major donors on fundingpriorities for coral reef research.ÑÑÑPackard FoundationThe Nature ConservancyWorld BankHoegh-Guldberg, Hughes, JonesProviding information and adviceto industry on subjects rangingfrom the impacts of dredging andoil exploration to environmentallysustainable seafood.ÑÑÑÑÑÑAxfood and ICA(two large Swedish food importers/Supermarkets)Pilbara IronPro-Dive, CairnsSoutheast Asian Petroleum Exploration SocietyUnder-Sea Explorer, Port DouglasWoodside PetroleumBaird, Bellwood, Hoegh-Guldberg, Hughes, Pandolfi,Pratchett, WillisInitiating conservation projects,including a network of 69 marineprotected areas (MPAs) in thePhilippines and PNG, and asustainable harvesting project inPNG.ÑÑÑÑÑAndra village (PNG)Mahonia Na Dari, PNGPhilippine Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic ResourcesPhilippine Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesWildlife Conservation Society, PNGAlmany, Cinner, Jones, Pratchett,RussProviding advice to managementagencies on governance structureand management of new marineparks, heritage conservation andenvironmental assessment matters.ÑÑÑÑÑÑConnell Wagner PPINT Government (Dept. of Natural Resources, Environment& the Arts),Parks VictoriaStockland Residential DevelopmentsSydney Ports CorporationTransGridHughes, McIntyre-Tamwoy33

TASKS MAJOR END-USERS KEY RESEARCHERSAdvising Australian governmentagencies, officials and ministers,providing briefing papers andinformation on heritage policymatters, climate change, and otherissues of strategic importance.ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑAustralian Local Government AssociationCarpentaria Land CouncilDepartment of Environment and HeritageFederation of Australian Historical SocietiesGBRMPAGovernment of WAInjinoo Apudhama Lands TrustMackay City CouncilMackay-Whitsunday Natural Resource Management GroupQLD Environmental Protection Agency Australian Climate GroupQueensland Department of Natural Resources and WaterBellwood, Hoegh-Guldberg,Hughes, Jupiter, McIntyre-Tamwoy, WillisProviding international governmentswith advice on World Heritage Areas,climate change, endangered species.ÑÑÑÑGovernor of Sebang, Ache, Indonesia,International Council on Monuments and SitesInternational Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)UNESCOBellwood,Hoegh-Guldberg, Hughes,McIntyre-Tamwoy, Munday,RichardsTraining in monitoring methodsfor socioeconomic and ecologicalresearch. Trainees include parkrangers, government and NGO staff,and government researchers.ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑAusAid, Queensland Park & Wildlife ServiceAusAid-funded Regional Assistance Mission toSolomon Islands (RAMSI)Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation CommitteeMotupore Island Research Station, PNGNOAAReef Check (Japan)Tanga Coastal Zone Development & Conservation Project(Tanzania)Tanzanian Institute for Marine Science(University of Dar Es Salaam)University of GuamUniversity of the PhilippinesWildlife Conservation Society PNGAlmany, Baird, Cinner, Foale,Hughes, Jones, Munday,Pratchett, Russ, WillisProviding training and information toindustry partners.ÑÑÑDavos Leadership conventionGreat Barrier Reef FoundationRio TintoAnthony, Dove, Hoegh-Guldberg,KingsfordImproving environmental educationin primary and secondary schools bydeveloping teaching resources andconducting workshops.ÑÑÑÑMahonia Na Dari (PNG)Mundingburra State SchoolPNG Education DepartmentTeachers and students of New Ireland Province, PNGBay, Foale, Munday34

National and International LinkagesIn 2006, the ARC Centre produced 88publications with cross-institutional coauthorship(28 more than 2005), involvingresearchers from 93 institutions in 29countries. The ARC Centre hosted 51international visitors from 17 countries, andCentre personnel traveled to 20 countries.The ARC Centre participated in or hosted7 national and 17 international workinggroups during 2006. Centre personnel areactively involved in many internationalactivities (including consultancies andend-user engagement, see p.32), includingmembership of editorial boards for nineinternational journals.Nationally, the Centre Chief Investigatorscontribute to five ARC Networks, reflectingtheir broad range of expertise. The Centreis represented at the Australian Academyof Sciences by two Fellows, Terry Hughes(JCU) and Malcolm McCulloch (ANU). Thethree main University nodes are linked toresearch and industry partners throughoutAustralia. In 2006, co-funding agreementswere established for 4 shared postdoctoralfellows, with AIMS, CSIRO and TheResilience Alliance. Two more will followin 2007. Internationally, major linkageswere developed and strengthened duringthe past year, including collaborationswith The Resilience Alliance, The BeijerInternational Institute for EcologicalEconomics, and The World Bank Coral ReefTargeted Research Program, which aredescribed briefly below.The Resilience Alliancewww.resalliance.orgThe ARC Centre of Excellence for CoralReef Studies is a Member Organizationof the Resilience Alliance (RA). The RA isa multi-disciplinary research group thatexplores the dynamics of linked social andecological systems in order to discoverfoundations for sustainability. It is anextensively networked organization, with17 member organizations in Australia,Canada, France, the Netherlands, Sweden,Thailand, the USA and Zimbabwe.RA members are world-leaders in theecological, mathematical, and socialsciences, covering a broad range ofdisciplinary expertise. The ARC Centre isrepresented by Hughes on the RA’s Boardof Directors, and on the editorial board oftheir journal, Ecology & Society. In March2006, the ARC Centre hosted a workinggroup meeting of the RA in Townsville,funded by the Packard Foundation. TheCentre also funded a working group inAugust, held at the University of Maine, incollaboration with Professor Bob Steneck,a Centre Partner Investigator. The RAwill host its next meeting in Corsica inSeptember 2007. The Resilience Alliancehas also agreed to co-fund a postdoctoralposition based at the Centre’s Townsvillenode in 2006-2007. A series of jointresearch funding initiatives are alsoplanned for next year.The Beijer International Institute forEcological Economicswww.beijer.kva.seThe Beijer Institute operates under theauspices of the Royal Swedish Academy,working at the interface of ecology andeconomics, co-directed by Profesor CarlFolke, who is a Partner Investigator inthe ARC Centre. It conducts researchand training internationally, funded bySwedish and international researchcouncils. The ARC Centre Director, TerryHughes, was appointed to the Boardof Directors of the Beijer Institute in2006, for a period of 3 years. The BeijerInstitute and two additional Swedishpartners received 22 million Eurosin funding in 2006 from the SwedishFoundation for Strategic EnvironmentalResearch (MISTRA) to establish a majornew Centre of Excellence, to be calledthe Stockholm Resilience Centre. Withpending support from the State ofQueensland, we plan to establish aframework within which collaborationbetween the new Australian and SwedishCentres can develop further in 2007.A major outcome will be the developmentand application of policy guidelinesand processes that further the globaldevelopment of adaptive governancesystems. The Australian Academy ofScience has formally endorsed the ARCCentre’s growing engagement with RoyalSwedish Academy.Global Coral Reef Targeted Research(CRTR) Program www.gefcoral.orgThe ARC Centre of Excellence is the singlelargest contributor of expertise to thisglobal research partnership, which includesthe World Bank, The IntergovernmentalOceanographic Commission, US NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), the University of Queensland, and60 other research groups. The consortiumof researchers aims to conduct specific,targeted research to fill critically importantinformation gaps in the fundamentalunderstanding of coral reef ecosystems sothat management and policy interventionscan be strengthened globally. FiveInternational Working Groups, each withapproximately a dozen leading researchers,form the scientific basis for the program.In 2005, the Centre is represented on fourgroups which dove-tail well with Programs3 and 4 of this proposal: (a) DiseasesWorking Group: Willis (Co-chair), (b)Connectivity Working Group: Jones, Planesand Steneck, (c) Bleaching Working Group:Hoegh-Guldberg, (Chair), (d) ModellingWorking Group: Bradbury (Chair). In 2006,the ARC Centre contributed to workinggroup meetings on Heron and OrpheusIslands, and in Brisbane, Miami, Paris andTownsville. The Centre Director, TerryHughes, met with the CRTR SteeringCommittee in Mexico in October 2006, todevelop additional collaborative activities,which will include a major workshop inTownsville during 2007.36

2006 international visitors:Dr Kevin ArrigoStanford University, USADr Shankar AswaniUniversity of California Santa BarbaraUSAProfessor John AviseUniversity of California, USAMr Jonathon BelmakerPhD student at Ben Gurion University,IsraelDr Michael BerumenUniversity of Arkansas, USAProfessor Harry BiggsResilience Alliance, South AfricaDr Michael BrookeNew Scientist Magazine, UKProfessor Nancy BuddUniversity of Iowa, USADr Ken CaldeiraStanford University, USADr Stuart CampbellWorld Wildlife Conservancy, IndonesiaDr Kenneth CliftonLewis and Clark College, Portland, USAProfessor Robert DunbarStanford University, USADr Mark EakinNOAA, USADr Michel EtienneINRA Ecodevelopment Unit, FranceDr Maoz FineUniversity of Haifa, IsraelDr Dominik FleitmannUniversity of Massachusetts, USAMr Nicholas GrahamUniversity of Newcastle, UKDr Rina Grant-BiggsSanparks, South AfricaDr Benjamin GreensteinCornell College, USAProfessor Lance GundersenResilience Alliance, USADr Jurgen HerlerUniversity of Vienna, AustriaProfessor Sally HolbrookUniversity of California SantaBarbara,USAProfessor Jeremy JacksonScripps Institute of Oceanography, USADr Alex KerrUniversity of Guam Marine Laboratory,USADr David KlineTropical Research Institute / ScrippsInstitute of Oceanography, USAProfessor Yossi LoyaUniversity of Tel Aviv, IsraelDr C MacDonaldStanford University, USADr Misha MatzUniversity of Texas, USADr Monica MedinaUniversity of California, USAProfessor Giff MillerUniversity of Colorado, Bolder, USADr Wolfgang MuellerUniversity of London, UKDr Stuart MurrayUniversity of Toronto, CanadaMr Vithal NadkarniThe Economic Times of India, IndiaDr Per OlssonUniversity of Stockholm, SwedenDr Adina PaytenStanford University, USADr Jeanine PfeifferUniversity of California, USAMs Basu RadshaEnvironment reporter, The Straits Times,SingaporeDr Wolfgang ReichardtUniversity of Philippines, PhilippinesDr Willem RenemaNationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum,NetherlandsProfessor Eugene RosenbergTel Aviv University, IsraelProfessor Russell SchmittUniversity of California Santa Barbara,USAA/Professor Garriet SmithA/Prof U South Carolina, USADr Shunichi TakahashiNational Institute for Basic Biology,JapanDr Phil TaylorResilience Alliance, CanadaDr Simon ThorroldWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution,USADr James TrueUniversity of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SARDr Gangiian WeiGuangzhou Institute of Geochemistry,ChinaDr Jörg WiedenmannUniversität Ulm, GermanyDr Bry WilsonUniversity College, Dublin, IrelandProfessor Oded YardenHebrew University, Jerusalem andUniversity of Tel Aviv, IsraelDr Yusuke YokoyamaUniversity of Tokyo, JapanDr Erika ZavaletaChristensen Fund, USA37

Media CoverageCommunicating research to diverse audiencesOnce they leave high-school, mostAustralians rely heavily on the mediaand the internet for life-long learningof science and technology. A scarythought, perhaps, but also a challengeand an opportunity for scientists to bettercommunicate their fi ndings.The ARC Centre of Excellence for CoralReef Studies was established in 2005to conduct research on the sciencethat underpins the sustainabilityof goods and services provided bycoral reef ecosystems. “The awardof an ARC Centre of Excellenceallowed us to develop a robust mediastrategy, which has increased ouroutreach enormously,” Centre DirectorProfessor Terry Hughes says.“The smartest thing we did was investat the outset in the services of aprofessional media consultant. He worksclosely with us to craft fortnightly pressreleases, converting our sometimes nerdyscience into everyday language andpropagating them to a huge audience.These releases generated 736 mediastories – two a day – in 2006.”“Our new website has developed rapidlyduring our fi rst full year operation, andis running now at well over a millionhits per annum, with 85% coming fromoverseas. About a quarter of the hitsare generated by the fortnightly pressreleases that highlight our researchfi ndings.”“Coral reef researchers do have a naturaladvantage, because our work is topicaland often visually stunning. In the pastthough, we usually only responded moreor-lesspassively to media enquiries.Now, we have deliberately set out toharness the media by creating our ownnews stories, to build public awarenessof their investment in coral reef science”,says Professor Hughes.One recent example from February 2007was a press release entitled “Fish:Healthcare workers of the Reef”. It wasbased on a large-scale fi eld experimentwhich showed that a healthy fi shpopulation is essential for coral recoveryafter a severe bleaching event, stormor disease outbreak. “We followed therecovery of corals that had been severelydamaged by bleaching due to globalwarming. The corals were on a reefwhere fi sh populations were unusuallyintact due to the Great Barrier ReefMarine Park Authority’s no-take policy.We fenced the fi sh out of some areas,and compared coral recovery with andwithout lots of fi sh.”“The result was dramatic. The coralcover virtually doubled where the fi shhad access, while the fenced-off areasbecame overgrown with seaweedand the corals failed to recover.”The research team concluded thathaving intact fi sh populations will bevital to successfully managing theresilience of tropical coral reefs fromthe impacts of climate change andhuman activity. “We can’t prevent futurebleaching except through internationalaction on greenhouse gas emissions,”said co-author Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, and Deputy Director of theARC Centre. “In the meantime, it’simportant to do whatever we canto minimize the damage and assistreefs through these diffi cult times.”This research was reported on ABC, inNew Scientist, on the Discovery Channel,Taiwan News, the New York Sun, theSan Francisco Chronical, the WashingtonPost, and over 40 other outlets.Fellow author and Research andMonitoring Manager with the GreatBarrier Reef Marine Park Authority, DrLaurence McCook, said the researchprovided valuable information for theprotection of the Great Barrier Reef.“Publicising research fi ndings likethis helps the public to appreciatethe measures needed to protect coralreefs, and to understand why it issometimes necessary to close areasof reef to fi shing. This builds publicsupport for best-practice managementand for the science that underpinsit”, says Professor Hughes.Sustainability of coral reef resourcesis vital for economies and societies intropical maritime countries worldwide. InAustralia alone the Great Barrier Reef isvalued at over $5 billion a year, employs68,000 people and is a celebratedcultural icon. The ARC Centre currentlyprovides support and supervision to 114research students from 29 countries,making it a global leader in the provisionof graduate training in coral reef studies.Led by James Cook University, theARC Centre of Excellence for CoralReef Studies is a partnership withthe University of Queensland, TheAustralian National University,The Australian Institute of MarineScience, CSIRO, and the Great BarrierReef Marine Park Authority.38

Highlights of the Centre’s 737 media hits in 2006 include:ABC, Catalyst Climate changedocumentary. 1/05/06, Hoegh-Guldberg OABC America News International, Batfi shprotect reef in Australia. 21/12/2006,Bellwood D, Hughes TPABC Radio National ' The NationalInterest', Coral stress like never inhistory. 12/12/2006, Pandolfi JAFP French Multimedia Wire, Coralsfacing worst impacts in history.19/06/2006, Pandolfi JAl Jazeera, Climate change and marineecosystems. 3/05/2006, Hoegh-Guldberg OAustralasian Science Magazine, Coralsfacing worst impacts in history.20/06/2006, Pandolfi JBBC Radio, Fish evolution and ecology.10/02/2006, Bellwood DBBC World Service, The World Today.4/04/2006, Baird AChannel TEN, Scope, Coral spawning.8/05/2006, Willis BDaily India, Batfi sh play importantrole in aiding coral reef recovery.19/12/2006, Hughes TP, Bellwood D,Hoey ADavid Attenborough Televisionprogramme "Are we changing theEarth", Bleaching and climate change.24/05/2006, Hoegh-Guldberg ODiario de Noticias, Cientista portugesapropoe conservacao mais efi cax paracorias. 2/03/2006, Dornelas MEarth Observatory – NASA, Coral reefsare increasingly vulnerable to angryoceans. 22/11/2006, Connolly SFPFA (San Francisco), Coral Threatenedby Global Warming. 28/12/06,Pratchett MIngo, "Heiß kommt der tod". 1/04/2006,Hoegh-Guldberg ONational Geographic, Roving banditsdepleting fi sheries, experts say.16/03/2006, Hughes TPNBC, Climate change documentary (TomBrokaw). 1/05/2006, Hoegh-Guldberg ONew Scientist, Ancient gene recreatedfrom modern descendants. 7/08/2006,Miller DSBS Radio News, Qld scientists sayhumans have caused more destructionto coral reefs in Indonesia than the2004 tsunami. 27/09/2006, Baird AScience et Vie, Great Barrier Reef.8/03/2006, Hoegh-Guldberg OShangtai Daily, Mangroves failedto protect coastal communities.4/04/2006, Baird ASwedish National Broadcasting,Globalised fi shing and roving bandits.20/03/2006, Hughes TPSydney Morning Herald, Scientists warnon reef shark population. 5/12/2006,Connolly SThe Age, Damsels Hard Row to Hoe.4/7/06, McCormick MThe Australian, Fish 'Starving to Death’.27/12/2006, Pratchett MThe Boston Globe, Fisheries beingplundered, researches say.27/03/2006, Hughes TPThe Courier Mail, Reef Fish Rise in GreenZones. 23/8/06, Russ GThe Guardian, Tropical fi sh tradethreatens to devastate reefs.6/08/2006, Hughes TP, Bellwood DThe Jakarta Post, Fish thrive incommunity-run marine parks in RI,PNG. 27/06/2006, Cinner JThe New York Times, False hopes andnatural disasters. 26/12/2006, Baird AThe Science Show Radio National,Roving Bandits. 21/10/2006,Hughes TPThe Seoul Times, Crowds cause fi shy sexchange. 13/09/2006, Munday PThe Times (UK), Reef fi sh lives fast, diesyoung. 8/09/2006, Bellwood DThe Washington Post, Study: Batfi shprotect reef in Australia. 21/12/2006,Hughes TP, Bellwood DThe Washington Times, Batfi sh protectreef in Australia. 2/01/2007, BellwoodD, Hughes TPThe Western Australian, Reef ExposesEvidence of 4m Ocean Rise. 10/11/06,McCulloch MToronto Star, Buffer or boner?28/05/2006, Baird AUniversum Magazine, Verliebte fi schewachsen zusammen. 8/07/2006,Munday PWeekend Australian, The reef belongs toall. 4/03/2006, Hughes TPWild Singapore, Roving bandits depletingfi sheries. 16/03/2006, Hughes TP,Bellwood DNational Nine News, Drought frequenciesfrom corals. 3/10/2006, Lough J39

National Benefi t Case-StudyCase Study 1Science for ManagingReef FisheriesThe unifying theme of the ARC Centre forCoral Reef Studies is the developmentof frontier technologies for managementand sustainable use of the world’scoral reefs. A major approach tomanagement and sustainable use ofrenewable resources is spatial zoningfor multiple levels of use and protection.A key aspect of this zoning approachis the establishment of no-take marinereserves, where all extractive practicesby humans are banned permanently.Our recent studies have highlighted theneed for networks of marine reserves formanagement of biodiversity and fi sheries.Such zoning for multiple levels of use andprotection is fast becoming a principalmechanism of management of marineresources in Australia and elsewhere.No-take reserves are often establishedto conserve species, ecologicalcommunities, habitats, ecosystems andbioregions. They are increasingly alsobeing advocated as a tool for fi sheriesmanagement. To date, some of thelargest and most successful applicationsof no-take marine reserves have beenon coral reefs. A notable example isAustralia’s Great Barrier Reef MarinePark (GBRMP), with a no-take area ofover 100,000 km 2 .Program 3 of the ARC Centre has madesubstantial progress in 2006 in (a)assessing the importance of marinereserves for fi sheries managementon coral reefs, (b) determining theoptimal design of reserve networks formanagement of ecological resilience,and (c) identifying the levels of larvaldispersal and connectivity within andbetween coral reef systems and marinereserve networks. In 2006, Program3 Leader, Garry Russ and colleagues(DH Willamson, RD Evans) completedthe fi rst fi eld assessments of the newRepresentative Areas Program (RAP) oninshore coral reefs of the GBR. Initialdata from the Whitsunday Islandsindicated a relatively fast and positiveresponse of targeted reef fish populationsto the new zoning. Sean Connolly andJCU co-authors Will Robbins, MizueHisano and Howard Choat combineddirect underwater counts of sharkabundance with mathematical models toproject future population trends basedon information about reef sharks’ currentsurvival, growth and reproductive rates.These results generated considerablemedia attention in 2006 regarding theRAP rezoning of the GBR which wasinitiated by federal legislation enacted inJuly 2004.A key development of the ARC Centreover the past 12 months has beenthe development of new taggingtechnologies for coral reef fi sh ofmajor commercial and recreationalfi shing importance (e.g. large groupers,including coral trout). Larval rearing andmarking experiments (Ba isotopes) werecompleted successfully in 2006 on a largecommercially important grouper, by GlennAlmany, Geoff Jones and colleagues.Work by Mike Kingsford and colleaguesfrom Woods Hole OceanographicInstitute demonstrated that larval fi shesare behaviourally sophisticated, capableof cuing into environmental signalsthat allow them to distinguish theirnatal reef. Field experiments in comingmonths will employ enriched isotopelarval markers to measure dispersalof coral trout larvae (Plectropomusspp.) from marine protected areasto adjacent fi shed populations in theKeppel Islands. These results are ofmajor signifi cance to a key stakeholder,the GBR Marine Park Authority.Selected 2006 ReferencesAlcala, AC and Russ, GR (2006). No-takemarine reserves and reef fi sheriesmanagement in the Philippines: Anew people power revolution. Ambio35(5): 245-254.Bay, LK, Crozier, RH and Caley, MJ (2006).The relationship between populationgenetic structure and pelagic larvalduration in coral reef fi shes on theGreat Barrier Reef. Marine Biology149(5): 1247-1256.Cinner, J, Marnane, MJ, McClanahan,TR and Almany, GR (2006). Periodicclosures as adaptive coral reefmanagement in the Indo-Pacific.Ecology and Society 11(1).Gerlach, G, Atema, J, Kingsford, MJ,Black, KP and Miller-Sims, V. Smellinghome can prevent dispersal of reeffi sh larvae. Proc. National Acad. Sci.104 (In Press).Robbins, WD, Hisano, M, Connolly,SR and Choat, JH (2006). Ongoingcollapse of coral-reef sharkpopulations. Current Biology 16(23):2314-2319.Thorrold, SR, Jones, GP, Planes, S andHare, JA (2006). Transgenerationalmarking of embryonic otoliths inmarine fi shes using barium stableisotopes. Canadian Journal ofFisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63(6):1193-1197.41

National Benefi t Case-StudyCase Study 2Building Resilience toClimate ChangeThe coral reefs of Australia, particularlythe Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef,and Lord Howe Island World HeritageArea are Australian national icons, ofgreat economic, social, and aestheticvalue. Tourism and fisheries on theGreat Barrier Reef alone contribute$5.9 billion annually to the nation’seconomy, and provides employment for63,000 people. Globally, the welfare of500 million people is intricately linkedto the goods and services provided bycoral reef biodiversity, such as fisheriesand tourism. Uniquely among tropicaland sub-tropical nations, Australia hasextensive coral reefs, a small populationof relatively very wealthy and welleducatedcitizens, and well-developedinfrastructure. Coral reef research is onearea where Australia has the capability,indeed the obligation, to achieve worldleadership.Coral bleaching, over-fi shing anddeclining water-quality can result indestructive algal blooms and a loss ofecological resilience. One of the mostvisible signs of a decline in the conditionof coral reefs is the widely documented“phase-shift” from a healthy coraldominatedstate to a weedy macro-algaldominated state. Loss of coral followingbleaching can also lead to reductions infi shes and other reef organisms. In 2006,the ARC Centre has undertaken cuttingedgeresearch that provides new insightsinto the processes involved in undesirablephase-shifts, and how they can becontrolled and managed. This informationis of critical importance to reef managersand policy makers worldwide.Programs 2 and 5 have begun this yearto quantify successional changes inalgal and coral assemblages on reefsthat are open and closed to fi shing, andto undertake novel experiments thatmanipulate the density of herbivorousand carnivorous fi shes. Responsevariables include the demographicmechanisms of coral-macroalgalinteractions and sub-lethal changesin the physiology of corals followingcoral bleaching and algal blooms.Mathematical modelling was alsoundertaken by Sean Connolly and histeam in 2006 to understand how changesin run-off of nutrients from coastalagriculture, which promotes algal growth,affects the control of algal blooms bygrazing reef fi shes.Phase-shift can be triggered by a lossof herbivores, especially parrotfishesand surgeonfi shes. However, thecritical question remains: how can thiscoral-algal phase-shift be reversed?In one of the world’s largest herbivoreexclusion experiments, a team from theARC Centre of Excellence simulatedoverfi shing on the Great Barrier Reef,which triggered a phase-shift to macroalgaeon a previously healthy reef. Theythen fi lmed the recovery of the reef onceherbivorous fi sh were re-introduced,using remote underwater digital videoscameras. Remarkably, only two of the27 herbivorous fi sh species present inthe region had any signifi cant impact.What was most surprising was that thedominant browser was a rare batfi sh,Platax pinnatus, a species previouslythought to be an invertebrate feeder.Parrotfi shes and surgeonfi shes, whichare the routine consumers of seaweed oncoral reefs, were unable to reverse runawayalgal blooms. The results revealedthe unexpected importance of a singlerare species in the recovery of coralreefs. This fi nding was highlighted inDecember 2006 in over 50 media storiespublished worldwide.Selected 2006 ReferencesBellwood, DR, Hoey, AS, Ackerman,JL and Depczynski, M (2006). Coralbleaching, reef fi sh community phaseshifts and the resilience of coralreefs. Global Change Biology 12(9):1587-1594.Bellwood, DR, Hughes, TP and Hoey, AS(2006). Sleeping functional groupdrives coral-reef recovery. CurrentBiology 16(24): 2434-2439.Hughes, TP, Rodrigues, MJ, Bellwood,DR, Ceccarelli, D, Hoegh-Guldberg,O, McCook, L, Moltschaniwskyj,N, Pratchett, MS, Steneck, RS andWillis, B. Phase Shifts, herbivory, andthe resilience of coral reefs to climatechange. Current Biology 17(4): (InPress).Lebel, L, Anderies, JM, Campbell, B,Folke, C, Hatfi eld-Dodds, S, Hughes,TP and Wilson, J (2006). Governanceand the capacity to manage resiliencein regional social-ecological systems.Ecology and Society 11(1): 19.Wilson, SK, Graham, NAJ, Pratchett,MS, Jones, GP and Polunin, NVC(2006). Multiple disturbances and theglobal degradation of coral reefs: arereef fi shes at risk or resilient? GlobalChange Biology 12(11): 2220-2234.Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2006). Complexitiesof coral reef recovery. Science311(5757): 42-43.43

PublicationsJournal Articles[1] Abesamis, RA, Alcala, AC and Russ, GR(2006). How much does the fishery at ApoIsland benefit from spillover of adult fishfrom the adjacent marine reserve? FisheryBulletin 104(3): 360-375.[2] Abesamis, RA, Russ, GR and Alcala, AC(2006). Gradients of abundance of fishacross no-take marine reserve boundaries:evidence from Philippine coral reefs.Aquatic Conservation: Marine andFreshwater Ecosystems 16(4): 349-371.[3] Ainsworth, TD, Fine, M, Blackall, LL andHoegh-Guldberg, O (2006). Fluorescencein situ hybridization and spectral imagingof coral-associated bacterial communities.Applied and Environmental Microbiology72(4): 3016-3020.[4] Alcala, AC and Russ, GR (2006). Notakemarine reserves and reef fisheriesmanagement in the philippines: A newpeople power revolution. Ambio 35(5):245-254.[5] Almany, G and Webster, M (2006). Thepredation gauntlet: early post-settlementmortality in reef fishes. Coral Reefs 25(1):19-22.[6] Anthony, KRN (2006). Enhanced energystatus of corals on coastal, high-turbidityreefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 319:111-116.[7] Ayling, BF, McCulloch, MT, Gagan, MK,Stirling, CH, Andersen, MB and Blake, SG(2006). Sr/Ca and 18O seasonality in aPorites coral from the MIS 9 (339–303 ka)interglacial. Earth and Planetary ScienceLetters 248(1-2): 462-475.[8] Baird (2006). Myth of green belts. Samudra44: 14-19.[9] Baird, AH, Salih, A and Trevor-Jones, A(2006). Fluorescence census techniques forthe early detection of coral recruits. CoralReefs 25(1): 73-76.[10] Ball, EE and Miller, DJ (2006). Phylogeny:The continuing classificatory conundrumof chaetognaths. Current Biology 16(15):R593-R596.[11] Barnett, A, Bellwood, DR and Hoey,AS (2006). Trophic ecomorphology ofcardinalfish. Marine Ecology ProgressSeries 322(1): 249-257.[12] Bay, LK, Buechler, K, Gagliano, M andCaley, MJ (2006). Intraspecifi c variationin the pelagic larval duration of tropicalreef fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 68(4):1206-1214.[13] Bay, LK, Crozier, RH and Caley, MJ (2006).The relationship between populationgenetic structure and pelagic larvalduration in coral reef fishes on the GreatBarrier Reef. Marine Biology 149(5): 1247-1256.[14] Bellwood, DR, Hoey, AS, Ackerman, JLand Depczynski, M (2006). Coral bleaching,reef fish community phase shifts and theresilience of coral reefs. Global ChangeBiology 12(9): 1587-1594.[15] Bellwood, DR, Hughes, TP and Hoey, AS(2006). Sleeping functional group drivescoral-reef recovery. Current Biology 16(24):2434-2439.[16] Bellwood, DR, Wainwright, PC, Fulton,CJ and Hoey, AS (2006). Functionalversatility supports coral reef biodiversity.Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 273(1582): 101-107.[17] Berkelmans, R and van Oppen, M (2006).The role of zooxanthellae in the thermaltolerance of corals: a "nugget of hope" forcoral reefs in an era of climate change.Proceedings of the Royal Society B:Biological Sciences 273(1599): 2305-2312.[18] Berkes, F, Hughes, TP, Steneck, RS,Wilson, JA, Bellwood, DR, Crona, B, Folke,C, Gunderson, LH, Leslie, HM, Norberg,J, Nystrom, M, Olsson, P, Osterblom,H, Scheffer, M and Worm, B (2006).Globalization, roving bandits, and marineresources. Science 311(5767): 1557-1558.[19] Bernal, JP, Eggins, SM, McCulloch, MT,Grun, R and Eggleton, RA (2006). Dating ofchemical weathering processes by in situmeasurement of U-series disequilibria insupergene Fe-oxy/hydroxides using LA-MC-ICPMS. Chemical Geology 235(1-2):76-94.[20] Berumen, ML and Pratchett, MS (2006).Recovery without resilience: persistentdisturbance and long-term shifts in thestructure of fish and coral communities atTiahura Reef, Moorea. Coral Reefs V25(4):647-653.[21] Brachert, TC, Reuter, M, Kroeger, KF andLough, JM (2006). Coral growth bands: Anew and easy to use paleothermometerin paleoenvironment analysis andpaleoceanography (late Miocene, Greece).Paleoceanography 21: PA4217.[22] Carpenter, SR and Folke, C (2006). Ecologyfor transformation. Trends in Ecology &Evolution 21(6): 309-315.[23] Ceccarelli, DM, Hughes, TP andMcCook, LJ (2006). Impacts of simulatedoverfishing on the territoriality of coralreef damselfish. Marine Ecology ProgressSeries 309: 255-262.[24] Chapin, FS, Hoel, M, Carpenter, SR,Lubchenco, J, Walker, B, Callaghan, TV,Folke, C, Levin, SA, Maler, KG, Nilsson, C,Barrett, S, Berkes, F, Crepin, AS, Danell,K, Rosswall, T, Starrett, D, Xepapadeas, Aand Zimov, SA (2006). Building resilienceand adaptation to manage Arctic change.Ambio 35(4): 198-202.[25] Cinner, J, Marnane, MJ, McClanahan, TRand Almany, GR (2006). Periodic closuresas adaptive coral reef management in theIndo-Pacific. Ecology and Society 11(1).[26] Cinner, JE and McClanahan, TR(2006). Socioeconomic factors thatlead to overfishing in small-scale coralreef fisheries of Papua New Guinea.Environmental Conservation 33(01): 73-80.[27] Davy, SK, Burchett, SG, Dale, AL, Davies,P, Davy, JE, Muncke, C, Hoegh-Guldberg,O and Wilson, WH (2006). Viruses: agentsof coral disease? Diseases of AquaticOrganisms 69: 101-110.44

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[3] Dove, S and Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2006). Thecell physiology of coral bleaching. pp200-244. In Coral Reefs and Climate Change.J. T. Phinney, A. Strong, W. Skrving, J.Kleypas and O. Hoegh-Guldberg (Eds.).American Geophysical Union[4] Pandolfi, J and Jackson, JBC (2006).Broad-scale patterns in Pleistocene coralreef communities from the caribbean:Implications for ecology and management.pp194-229. In The destruction of coral reefecosystems: paleoecological perspectiveson the human role in a global crisis. R. B.Aronson (Ed.). Springer-Verlag.ConferenceProceedings[1] Baird, AH, Gilmour, J, Kamiki, T, Nonaka,M, Pratchett, M, Yamamoto, H andYamasaki, H. (2006). Temperaturetolerance of symbiotic and non-symbioticcoral larvae. in Proceedings of the 10thInternational Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 38-42[2] Beger, M, Jones, G and Possingham, H.(2006). A method of statistical modellingof coral reef fish distribution: can itaid conservation planning in data poorregions? in Proceedings of the 10thInternational Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 1445-1456[3] Berumen, M and Pratchett, M. (2006).Effects of resource availability on thecompetitive behaviour of butterflyfi shes(Chaetodontidae). in Proceedings of the10th International Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 644-650[4] Foale, S. (2006). Is coral reef conservationpossible without science education inMelanesia? Is science education possiblewithout development? in Proceedingsof the 10th International Coral ReefSymposium. Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 1-5[5] Gilmour, J, Baird, A, Pratchett, M andSmith, L. (2006). The maintenance ofpopulations of the mushroom coral Fungiafungites under different disturbanceregimes: sexual versus asexualrecruitment. in Proceedings of the 10thInternational Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 351-358[6] Hoey, A and McCormick, M. (2006). Effectsof subcutaneous fluorescent tags on thegrowth and survival of a newly settledcoral reef fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis(Pomacentridae). in Proceedings of the10th International Coral Reefs Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 420-424[7] Jupiter, S, Phinn, S, Duke, N and Potts, D.(2006). Changing mangrove distributionsin the Pioneer estuary (Queensland,Australia): evaluating a techniquefor monitoring mangrove health. inProceedings of the 10th International CoralReef Symposium. Okinawa, Japan: ICRS.1727-1731[8] McCormick, MI and Hoey, AS. (2006).Biological and physical correlates ofsettlement and survival for a coralreef fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis(Pomacentridae). in Proceedings of the10th International Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 425.430[9] Muller, A, McGregor, H, Gagan, M andLough, J. (2006). The effects of earlymarine aragonite, Mg-calcite and vadosezonecalcite diagenesis on reconstructionsof coral calcifi cation and the oceanic Suesseffect. in Proceedings 10th InternationalCoral Reef Symposium. Okinawa, Japan:ICRS. 607-614[10] Munday, P. (2006). Changing coralcommunities: What are the consequencesfor reef fishes? in Proceedings of the 10thinternational Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 214-215[11] Salih, A, Cox, G, Szymczak, R, Coles, S,Baird, A, Dunstan, A, Cocco, G, Mills, Jand Larkum, A. (2006). The role of hostbasedcolor and fluorescent pigments inphotoprotection and in reducing bleachingstress in corals. in Proceedings of the10th International Coral Reef Symposium.Okinawa, Japan: ICRS. 746-756Reports[1] Foale, S, The scale and epistemology ofcoral bleaching in Papua New Guinea:Bridging Scales and Epistemologies,in Millenium Ecosystem Assessment.2006, Millenium Ecosystem Assessment:Alexandria.[2] Kleypas, JA, Feely, RA, Fabry, VJ, Langdon,C, Sabine, CL and Robbins, LL, (and Lough,J), Impacts of Ocean Acidification on CoralReefs and Other Marine Calcifiers: A Guidefor Future Research, report of a workshopheld 18–20 April 2005. 2006, NSF, NOAA,and the U.S. Geological Survey: St.Petersburg, FL. p. 88.48

Publication BenchmarkingThe ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is a world leader in coral reef science. In 2006, the Centre produced 132 publications,up by 29% from 102 in 2005. According to ISI Web of Science, if the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was a country, itwould have ranked second in the world behind the USA in 2006 for the number of journal publications and citations in coral reef science.There was a marked improvement in the quality of journals targeted by the ARC Centre in 2006, from a mean Impact Factor of 5.1 in 2005to 5.8 in 2006. Thirty-three 2006 articles were published in journals with Impact Factors greater than four, including twelve papers inScience and Nature (up from 8 in 2005).353025Number of papers202510500-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-8 8+Impact Factor2005 2006The Impact Factor distribution of the ARC Centre’s publications in 2005and 2006.49

800200700175600150Cumulative Impact Factor50040030012510075Number of papers20050100200ARC CoEUniversity of HawaiiSmithsonian InstituteNOAAUniversity of MiamiScripps Research InstituteWoods Hole OceanographicInstituteUniversity of PerpignanUniversity of Newcastleupon Tyne0Comparison of 2006 journal publications in coral reef disciplines withinternational Benchmark Institutions.The graph compares the total number of journal articles on coral reef science published in 2006, and the summed Impact Factor of those publications. Thedata was generated by searching ISI Web of Science for “coral*” and the names of leading institutions. Note the high Impact Factor relative to the numberof publications for the ARC Centre of Excellence, the University of Miami, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.The Centre researchers receivedwidespread national and internationalrecognition in 2006 for the quality oftheir research, including 29 invitationsto provide international keynoteaddresses (in Australia, Canada, China,France, Germany, the Netherlands,Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, the UK,and the USA), and 33 invitationsto write major reviews. The Centrepersonnel received 5353 citations in2006, a 47% increase compared to2005. Eighteen Centre of Excellenceresearchers were cited >100 timeseach in 2006, and six of these had >300citations each in the reporting period.League table achievements in publications for 2006 include:Connolly, S.R., T.P. Hughes, D.R.Bellwood, R.H. Karlson (2005).Community structure of corals andreef fi shes at multiple scales. Science309: 1365-1365. (Ranked in March andApril 2006 by the Faculty of 1000, as anExceptional Publication.(www.f1000biology.com/article/16511493/evalution).Dornelas, M., S.R. Connolly, T.P. Hughes(2006) Nature 440: 80-82. (Ranked inMarch, April and September 2006 bythe Faculty of 1000, as an ExceptionalPublication.(www.f1000biology.com/article/16123298/evalution).ISI Essential Science Indicators identifi edthree Research Fronts in 2006 thathighlight the leading research andexceptionally high level of citation by theCentre’s personnel. A research front isa group of highly cited papers, referredto as core papers, in a specializedtopic defi ned by a cluster analysis.The Research Fronts were “Coral ReefEcosystems”, “Coral bleaching”, and“Coral reef resilience”. Six core papers inthe 2006 Research Fronts were authoredby Research Fellow A. Baird, by ChiefInvestigators D. Bellwood, S. Connolly,O. Hoegh-Guldberg, T. Hughes, and J.Pandolfi , and by Partner Investigators C.Folke, J. Lough, and R. Steneck.ISI Essential Science Indicators identifi edO. Hoegh-Gulberg as the #4 rankedscientist in the Global Warming specialtopic. His most cited paper is ranked at#1 on the 10 year list of papers on thistopic.(http://esi-topics.com/gwarm2006/interviews/OveHoegh-Guldberg.html)50

Performance MeasuresResearch fi ndingsMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 1 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Number of publications 51 60 132Publications in journals with an impact factor > 4 14 5 33Number of citations 1823 300 5353Invitations to provide plenary addresses at internationalconferences6 5 29Invitations to provide review articles 7 3 33Number and nature of commentaries about the centre’sachievements109 60 737Awards, Prizes or Recognition 6 3 14Research training and professional educationMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Number of postgraduates enrolled 66 50 2 110Number of postgraduate completions 4 50 2 13Number of Honours students 9 50 2 22Number of professional workshops 3 2 10Participation in professional workshops 5 2 22Number and level of graduate student courses andworkshops in the priority area(s)6 6 121. Outcomes for 2005 have been halved to represent the 6 months from 1 July to 31 December2. Over 5 years.51

International, national and regional links and networksMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Number of international visitors 25 10 51Number of national and internationalWorking Groups13 Centre investigatorsparticipated in 3international and5 national workinggroups.3 15 Centreinvestigatorsparticipated in 17international and 7national workinggroups.Number of visits to overseas laboratories and researchfacilitiesInvitations to membership of national and internationalboards and advisory committees12 12 4621 7 41Number of cross-institutional publications. 62 10 88Number of multi-institutional supervisory arrangementsof graduate students.29 6 42Number & nature of contractual arrangements.u increase the level of internationally funded studentsu increase level of consultancies and contract research168 research contractswith industry10 over 5 yrs21612(5 continue from2005)Number of government, industry and business briefi ngs 9 industry and 8government briefi ng6 11 industry and19 governmentbriefingsNumber of Centre trained/ing personnel in knowledge /technology transfer and commercialization0 1 6Public Awareness programsuuWebsite hitsPublic awareness presentations13,305336,0002608,2681252

GovernanceMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Breadth and experienceof the members of theAdvisory BoardCentre Advisory Board andScientifi c ManagementCommittee establishedSenior representation fromall nodes. Representationof eminent internationalresearchers. Members withcommercial and businesslinks.See page p.7Frequency andeffectiveness ofAdvisory BoardmeetingsInaugural Scientifi c ManagementCommittee meeting in February2006. Inaugural Centre AdvisoryBoard meeting scheduled forearly 2006.Annual face-to face meetingattended by entire CentreAdvisory Board.Face-to-face meeting ofentire Scientifi c ManagementCommittee twice per year.See page p.74 Scientific ManagementCommittee meetings held.Inaugural Centre AdvisoryBoard meeting held inMay 2006.Quality of the Centrestrategic planDraft Strategic Plan developedand presented to Scientifi cManagement Committee. To bereviewed by business, scienceand university.The Centre’s progress againstthe plan will be formallyreported to the Advisory Boardand be renewed in light ofoutcomes.Strategic Plan endorsed bythe Centre Advisory Board andwill be reviewed annually.Ongoing performance againstplan is reviewed quarterly bythe Scientific ManagementCommittee.Effectiveness ofarrangements tomanage Centre nodes1. All nodes and researchprograms represented atScientifi c ManagementCommittee meetings2. Monthly nodal and programleader meetings held3. In 2005 managementmeetings held at each ofthe 3 nodes4. In 2005 research planningmeetings held for Centreand each research program5. Cross-nodal attendanceat all research planningmeetingsThe nodes will communicatethrough:1. Meetings of theScientifi c ManagementCommittee where eachnode and program isrepresented2. monthly nodal leaderphone or videoconferences3. Annual rotational visitsto the nodes4. Annual research retreatsfor all Centre participants5. Annual research Programplanning meetings withcross-nodal attendance1. All nodes and researchprograms represented atScientific ManagementCommittee meetings.2. Nodal leader discussionsare continuous, occurringat least weekly.3. Each Node leader visitedthe other nodes at leastonce during 2006.4. In 2006, research planningmeetings were held for;the Centre, Programs1- 5, researc h fellows, &graduate students5. Each node wasrepresented at all planningmeetingsThe adequacy ofthe Centre’s KeyPerformance MeasuresThe Centre outperformedbenchmarked institutionsInternational benchmarking toresearch in top internationalmarine research centres.Centre outperformed benchmarkinstitutions (see p.49)53

Organisational supportMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Annual cash contributions from CollaboratingOrganisationsNil$1,115,000 $1,205,000Annual in-kind contributions from CollaboratingOrganisations1,116,654 1 5% above 2005 level$2,799,021(25% increase)Number of new Organisations recruited to or involvedin the Centre8 2 New Organisations 10Level and quality of infrastructure provided to the Centre$878,843 ofinfrastructure providedto the Centre.5% above 2005 level $922,785Annual cash contributions from other new organisationsAdditional funding of$100,000 from CSIRO20% above 2005levelAdditional newfunding of $167,083(67% increase)National Benefi tMEASURE OUTCOME 2005 TARGET 2006 OUTCOME 2006Measures of expansion ofAustralia’s capability in thepriority area(s)16% increase in Publications1) A growth trajectory of 10%in citations and Publicationsfrom 2000-2004 as thebenchmark.62% increase inPublications81% increase in Citations17 briefi ngs2) 6 briefi ngs to government,business and industrygroups30 briefings14 Cross-nodal publications62 Cross-institutionalpublications3) 14 cross-institutional coauthoredpublications17 Cross-nodalpublications88 Cross-institutionalpublicationsCase studies of economic,social, cultural orenvironmental benefi ts1See 2005 annual report2 to be highlighted in the annualreport and distributed to mediaagencies26 Media Releases in 2006See p.4354

Financial StatementARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesStatement of Operating Income and Expenditurefor year ended 31 December 2006Income $ARC Centre Grant 3,722,158ARC Fellowships 420,562ARC Networks Program 30,000Host Institutions support 1,205,000Local Government 25,000State Government 20,000Commonwealth Government other grants 193,000International income & other contracts 59,083Total Income $5,674,803Expenditure $Salaries 1,893,885Equipment 206,878Travel 587,903Research Maintenance & consumables 567,313Scholarships 36,642Administrative expenses 127,444Total Expenditure $3,420,065Total carry forward $2,254,73855

Financial StatusThe operating cash and in-kind operating budget for the Centre of Excellence for 2005-2010 currently totals $35.7m, a 13% increase from2005 projections. The chart below indicates the budgeted level of funding from the various funding sources.ARC Centre of Excellence funding outlook 2005-2010ANU $1.5m, 4%Industry / Other $2.8m, 8%UQ $3.0m, 8%ARC $13.0m, 36%JCU $10.6m, 30%ARC Fellowships $2.4m, 7%CommonwealthGovernment / Other$2.4m, 7%56

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueensland 4811AUSTRALIAPhone: +61 7 4781 4000Fax: +61 7 4781 6722Email: info@coralcoe.org.auWebsite: www.coralcoe.org.au