Coral Sea Marine Park Environmental Assessment of Islands, Islets, Cays and Reefs of the Central Reef System 2025

Summary

Natural value assessments of terrestrial ecosystems and species in the Coral Sea Marine Park were conducted at South West Cay and North East Cay (Herald Cays), South West Islet (Coringa Islets), North Islet and South Islet (Willis Islets), South West Cay, Georgina Cay, Dianna Cay, Hermit Crab Islet, Turtle Islet, Lorna Cay and Betty Cay (Lihou Reef), South Diamond Islet and East Diamond Islet (Tregrosse Reef) in June 2025.

The CSMP Island Health Project is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies and subject-matter experts, combining specialist skills to assess ecosystem health and identify changes and emerging pressures across key indicators. The key assessments and activities undertaken on the June 2025 voyage include: 

• Assessment of vegetation communities
• Establishment and monitoring of permanent vegetation BioCondition monitoring sites to provide benchmarks for CSMP vegetation and to assess structure, floristic composition and ecosystem function over time
• Compilation of comprehensive plant species, inventories and collection of plant species for incorporation into State and National herbaria • Collection of data on seabird breeding, population demographics and species diversity
• Surveys for introduced and invasive species
• Monitoring of threats and pressures to natural values, including human activity
• Removal and recording of marine debris
• Testing and monitoring for highly pathogenic avian influenza
• Surveys for introduced ant and other invertebrate species
• Assessment of island geomorphology and detection of change over time
• Assessment of the current condition of reef benthic, fish, and invertebrate communities.