ANNUAL REPORT 2017 COVER PHOTO: WINNER OF THE ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 2017 PHOTO COMPETITION: A PAIR OF BIGNOSE UNICORNFISH SWIMMING IN PARALLEL AND DISPLAYING SPAWNING OR AGGRESSION COLOUR PATTERNS. LOCATION: PALAU. PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK PRIEST, PHD STUDENT. ANNUAL REPORT 2017 CONTENTS VISION 3 NATIONAL PRIORITY CASE STUDY: SECURING 34 THE FUTURE OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF MISSION 3 ARTICLE: THE GUARDIANS OF THE GREAT 36 AIMS 3 BARRIER REEF OVERVIEW 3 GRADUATE AND EARLY CAREER TRAINING 38 DIRECTOR’S REPORT 4 CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI 48 RESEARCH IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENT 6 GRADUATE PROFILE: DR VIVIAN LAM 51 RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE BY CENTRE 8 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LINKAGES 52 RESEARCHERS ARTICLE: CENTURIES-OLD NAUTICAL MAPS REVEAL 57 2017 HIGHLY CITED RESEARCHERS 9 CORAL LOSS MUCH WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM 1: 10 COMMUNICATION, MEDIA AND 58 PEOPLE AND ECOSYSTEMS PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM LEADER PROFILE: 12 GOVERNANCE 62 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TIFFANY MORRISON MEMBERSHIP 65 RESEARCH PROGRAM 2: 18 ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS: PAST, PRESENT PUBLICATIONS 68 AND FUTURE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 80 PROGRAM LEADER PROFILE: 20 DR VERENA SCHOEPF FINANCIAL OUTLOOK 81 RESEARCH PROGRAM 3: 26 2018 ACTIVITY PLAN 82 RESPONDING TO A CHANGING WORLD KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 83 PROGRAM LEADER PROFILE: 28 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 87 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MAJA ADAMSKA ARTICLE: WHY SLIMY FISH LIPS ARE THE SECRET 33 TO EATING STINGING CORAL At the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies we acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and sea where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and future. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. PHOTO MARK PRIEST ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1 VISION To acquire and disseminate scientific knowledge that fosters sustainable use, adaptive governance and effective management of the world’s coral reefs to enhance human wellbeing. MISSION To lead the global research effort in the provision of scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining the ecosystem goods and services of the world’s coral reefs during a period of unprecedented environmental change. AIMS The aims of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies are: RESEARCH 1 Produce research that is world-best, innovative, collaborative, multi-disciplinary and highly relevant to coral reef management, adaptive governance and policy development. RESEARCH TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 2 Build human capacity and expertise in coral reef science worldwide. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LINKAGES 3 Create a global hub for integrated coral reef research collaborations. IMPACTS AND END-USER ENGAGEMENT 4 Exchange and transfer knowledge, technologies and research outcomes with end-users and partners. GOVERNANCE 5 Continuously evolve Centre governance and management to ensure it is co-operative, multi- institutional and communicative. OVERVIEW The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies commenced operations in 2014 following the award of $28 million from the Australian Research Council to fund the Centre for seven years. Headquartered at James Cook University, the ARC Centre’s additional nodes are The Australian National University (ANU), The University of Queensland (UQ) and The University of Western Australia (UWA). Our national and international partner institutions are the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University (COS, USA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, Switzerland) and WorldFish (Malaysia). In 2017, the Centre established and/or maintained collaborative links to 318 institutions in 61 countries. The major objective of the Centre is to achieve a better understanding of the science, both social and natural, that underpins the dynamic changes occurring in coral reefs worldwide. This research is both multifaceted and transdisciplinary. Improving the governance and management of natural systems and enhancing the capacity to sustain both human and natural capital is an overarching goal of our research. PHOTO CHRISTOPHER BRUNNER 2 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR CORAL REEF STUDIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 3 DIRECTOR’S REPORT In the immediate aftermath of a first four years of activities. At the end of 2017, the reached a record 373 publications in 2017 (p68) – As we submit this report, we look forward to a highly multi-year global bleaching event, Centre’s membership includes 68 Chief Investigators, reaching our goal of one journal article each day. Since productive 2018. Already we have two additional high the need for coral reef research Research Fellows and Associates; 28 Partner 2014, we have produced a total of more than 1,000 profile papers accepted for publication in Science and has never been greater. In 2017, Investigators, resident international scholars and publications. Our collaborators in 2017 came from 318 Nature on the 2015/2016 and 2017 global bleaching we witnessed (and studied) the first adjunct researchers; and 189 research students (p38). institutions in 61 countries (p52). events. In November 2017, we deployed recruitment back-to-back bleaching event on panels along the length of the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Barrier Reef, resulting in In 2017, our fieldwork was undertaken in 28 The Centre’s website is one of the major ways we as our research turns now to addressing the slow unprecedented damage to two-thirds tropical countries. In March, we published a cover communicate to a range of audiences around the recovery process that will unfold in coming years. of this iconic World Heritage Area. Throughout the article in Nature that summarised our aerial and world. In 2017, it received 14.1 million hits. The Centre’s underwater surveys of coral bleaching throughout tropics, the global effort to improve governance and media coverage, boosted by the interest in our work Lastly, I’d like to express my gratitude to our many tropical Australia. This work, co-authored by 46 management of coral reefs is accelerating because on coral bleaching, has also continued to grow rapidly other friends around the world for their contributions of their importance to food security and human authors from 11 institutions, was a huge effort that during 2017 (p58). to an outstanding year, to the Centre’s Advisory wellbeing. Our Centre’s key goal is to provide and tested our capabilities to mobilize a small army of Board, and our research partners and end-users communicate the scientific knowledge that underpins researchers across the country. In June, we published Centre members provided more than 120 briefings, (particularly the Australian Institute for Marine Science, sustainable use and stewardship of the world’s coral a second article in Nature, entitled ‘Coral Reefs in the workshops and consultancies during the year to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and reefs. This year’s report includes a national priority Anthropocene’ (p16). Drawing on the social sciences, governments, management agencies, non-government WorldFish). I am especially grateful to our Centre’s case study of our research on the 2016 and 2017 it provides a blueprint for better governance and organisations (NGOs) and business organisations. management of reefs, and for coping with rapid Assistant Director, Alana Grech, and to our talented bleaching events that exemplifies the uptake and Examples include Australian Commonwealth impact of our research (p34). change. The Centre’s research program summaries operations team – Jenny Lappin, Olga Bazaka, Viv Departments, the Queensland and Western Australian on pp.10–32 provide many other examples of our Doherty, Catherine Naum and Janet Swanson – for their governments, International Union for Conservation of Our ARC Centre was established with a 7-year recent and current activities at home and abroad. enthusiastic and friendly support. funding cycle in 2014, and since then our research, Nature (IUCN), USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric publications, outreach and training activities have all Our Centre is the largest provider of graduate Administration (NOAA), Solomon Island Ministries, The grown very substantially. This year, 2017, we went training in coral reef research in the world, and in Nature Conservancy (TNC), United Nations Educational, through the important process of a mid-term review. 2017, our research students came to Australia from Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), USAid, Terry Hughes This report documents our progress to date over our 41 countries (p38). The Centre’s publication output and many more. Director PHOTO CHRISTOPHER BRUNNER 4 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR CORAL REEF STUDIES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 5 OPEN DATA Digital data and metadata generated by the ARC Centre of Excellence is shared with the world via multiple platforms, including the JCU, UQ, ANU and UWA online data repositories that are syndicated with the Australian Research Data RESEARCH IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENT 2017 Commons, and made widely available via Research Data Australia. In 2017, over 140 individual datasets generated by Centre researchers were made accessible via Research Data