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Reef Trust The Australian Government's investment program for the Great Barrier Reef.

Learn about the people, partnerships and projects supporting a resilient Great Barrier Reef 🪸

This page is moderated from 9am-5pm AEST Monday to Friday.

Managing crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks is one of the most important things we can do to protect the Great Ba...
23/10/2026

Managing crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks is one of the most important things we can do to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Through the Reef Trust Partnership (RTP) with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, we have supported efforts to reduce the impact of COTS and protect coral across priority areas of the Reef.

The RTP has also delivered new tools and research to strengthen our ability to predict, detect and respond to COTS outbreaks.

📷 Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Ocean Image Bank | Matt Curnock

19/10/2026

Protecting turtles on the Great Barrier Reef. 🐢

Turtle nesting season runs from October to March across the Great Barrier Reef region.

During this time, nesting turtles come ashore to dig nests, lay their eggs and cover them before hatchlings begin to emerge from January.

Turtle nests and hatchlings are vulnerable to predators that pose a significant threat to the sustainability of turtle populations.

Through the Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program, the Reef Trust is funding action to safeguard turtle nests from predators, such as feral pigs and foxes.

Since 2014, the program has protected millions of turtle hatchlings across the region, using innovative approaches such as drones, infrared cameras and detector dogs.

The Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program is a joint initiative between the Australian Government, Queensland Environment and Queensland National Parks.

🎥 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

16/10/2026

People and programs protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

Since 2014, the Australian Government's Reef Trust has invested in programs that support a resilient Great Barrier Reef.

Delivered in partnership with Traditional Owners, industry, communities and research partners, Reef Trust programs are helping protect marine life, reduce marine debris, manage crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and improve water quality.

They are also developing innovative, world-leading solutions that could help the Reef adapt to and recover from the impacts of climate change and other disturbances.

Visit the new Reef Trust website to learn more about the people, partnerships and projects making a difference for the Reef.

Link in comments. 🔗

🎥 Citizens of the Reef, GBR Biology, Australian Institute of Marine Science, CQUniversity Australia / CMERC, Biopixel Oceans Foundation

Restoring habitats for threatened wildlife. 🐢In the lower Burnett River, work to repair eroded riverbanks is delivering ...
12/10/2026

Restoring habitats for threatened wildlife. 🐢

In the lower Burnett River, work to repair eroded riverbanks is delivering important benefits for a local threatened species.

Found only in a handful of Queensland river systems, the critically endangered White-throated snapping turtle is one of Australia's largest freshwater turtles. It is also unfortunately on the brink of extinction.

Work delivered through the Burnett Mary Regional Group’s (BMRG) portion of the Landscape Repair Program has restored important riverbanks that provide nesting and recruitment habitat for this species.

In addition to benefitting local wildlife, the Program is helping to reduce sediment run-off to improve Reef water quality, supporting strong Traditional Owner partnerships and building healthier catchments for future generations.

The program is funded through the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.

📸 Burnett Mary Regional Group

How do you restore coral across a reef system as vast as the Great Barrier Reef?Through the Reef Restoration and Adaptat...
09/10/2026

How do you restore coral across a reef system as vast as the Great Barrier Reef?

Through the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), researchers have developed innovative coral seeding techniques that could help make large-scale reef restoration a reality.

By combining automated coral spawning, high-density larval rearing, and purpose-built settlement devices, millions of coral larvae can now be produced and prepared for deployment.

Field trials have successfully deployed thousands of coral settlement devices onto reefs, with strong survival rates more than a year after deployment. Researchers have also shown that devices can be released from the water's surface, performing as well as diver deployment while significantly reducing costs and increasing scale.

These RRAP breakthroughs are laying the foundation for future coral restoration efforts, to help fast-track coral recovery and strengthen Reef resilience.

RRAP is funded through the Reef Trust Partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Credit: Marie Roman, Saskia Jurriaans, Australian Institute of Marine Science

07/10/2026

The potato cod 🐟

A gentle giant that can grow up to 2 metres long and weigh around 100 kilograms, this curious fish is a highlight for any diver lucky enough to encounter one on the Great Barrier Reef.

They can be found at one of the most well known dive sites in the world — the Cod Hole.

The Cod Hole was temporarily impacted by cyclones and mass bleaching, but thanks to the efforts of tourism operators and other partners through the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative, the site’s reputation as one of the world’s greatest dives has been restored.

Protecting iconic species like the potato cod means reducing the impacts of threats while also protecting the habitats they depend on.

The Reef Trust is supporting programs that help protect marine life across the Reef, including restoring habitats and reducing the impacts of marine debris and pollution.

Follow us to learn more about the people, projects and partnerships helping protect the Great Barrier Reef for future generations.

📸

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

05/10/2026

Seagrass meadows are one of the Reef's unsung habitat heroes. 🌿

They provide food for dugongs and green turtles, act as nurseries for young fish, and help improve water quality by trapping sediment before it reaches the Reef.

World Habitat Day is celebrated on 5 October and is an opportunity to recognise the importance of these habitats and the actions being taken to protect them.

We're supporting a range of projects to help protect, restore and build the resilience of seagrass habitats.

Want to learn more? Follow some of our Reef Trust partners tagged below to see this important work in action.

CQUniversity Australia
Reef Catchments
OzFish Unlimited
Great Barrier Reef Foundation

02/10/2026

Dating for corals?

For just a few nights each year, the annual mass coral spawning event turns the Great Barrier Reef into an underwater matchmaking spectacular.

This spawning event plays a vital role in maintaining healthy coral ecosystems. It’s also a critical time for Reef researchers, who use the event to support innovative approaches for Reef restoration and adaptation.

Learn more about spawning in the Reef in Focus podcast from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Find it on all your favourite podcast streaming platforms. 🎧

📹 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Restoring riverbanks, improving Reef water quality, and protecting habitat for native wildlife.In the Lower Burnett Rive...
30/09/2026

Restoring riverbanks, improving Reef water quality, and protecting habitat for native wildlife.

In the Lower Burnett River, a steep, eroding riverbank has been transformed into a more resilient landscape, with thriving native grasses and trees.

Habitats for threatened species, including dugongs, white-throated snapping turtles and Australian lungfish, have been restored.

Work to repair eroding riverbanks will also aim to prevent 18,000 tonnes of fine sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year, delivering valuable water quality benefits.

These are just some of the significant, positive outcomes being delivered through the Burnett Mary Regional Group Landscape Repair Program, funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.

29/09/2026

Imagine being able to support the Great Barrier Reef from your home, school, or anywhere in the world.

That's the power of the Great Reef Census.

Tourists, divers and other partners capture photos of the Reef. Assisted by cutting-edge artificial intelligence, those images can then be analysed by anyone.

So far, more than 25,000 citizen scientists from 1,100 locations worldwide have taken part. Together, they have completed more than 650,000 reef image analyses.

Their contributions generate valuable data that directly informs coral reef conservation efforts where they are needed most.

The Great Reef Census is transforming everyday people into reef scientists and helping to protect one of the world's most important natural ecosystems.

Great Reef Census 7 (GRC7) is underway, with citizen scientists in the water capturing thousands of images to help build a clearer picture of reef health. Head over to Citizens of the Reef to find out how you can get involved.

The Great Reef Census is proudly supported by Reef Trust funding.

📹 Citizens of the Reef

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John Gorton Building King Edward Terrace [GPO Box 3090]
Canberra, ACT
2600

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+611800920528

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