Expedition voyage underway in the Coral Sea Marine Park 

Vital scientific and conservation work is underway in one of Australia’s most remote and pristine marine environments, with Parks Australia leading a collaborative expedition to the Coral Sea Marine Park.

Departing from Cairns on Thursday 14 May, the expedition brings together park managers, scientists and ecological specialists for a 2-week, 1,250 nautical mile journey.

The Coral Sea Marine Park is Australia’s largest marine park, covering nearly one million square kilometres off the coast of Queensland and protecting vast reef systems and more than 60 islets and cays.

The team will visit up to 11 remote islands, islets, cays and surrounding reefs to monitor ecosystem health and undertake important conservation work. The main voyage continues a series of island and reef health monitoring projects that have been gathering data to guide management of the marine park since 2018.

At the same time, a second voyage will advance an ecological restoration project on South Islet in the Willis Islets, an important nesting site for seabirds and green turtles, and the location of a Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) weather station.

Parks Australia Coral Sea Marine Park Manager and voyage leader Martin Russell said the expedition highlighted the importance of collaboration in managing remote marine environments.

“This voyage demonstrates the breadth of work required to care for these remote environments,” he said. 

“By bringing together experts from other government agencies, research institutions, and First Nations groups, we are able to gather the data we need to understand the health of these ecosystems, and ensure we’re managing them effectively for the future.

“We’re also able to carry out important work such as testing for bird flu in wild bird populations, managing invasive pests, rehabilitating native vegetation and collecting marine debris. 

“These island ecosystems are incredibly fragile, and vulnerable to pressures from human visitation and the effects of climate change.

“In the case of bird flu, testing on these islands will give us an early warning of any outbreaks before they arrive on mainland Australia.” 

In addition to the South Islet Ecological Restoration Project, key activities will include:

• Island health surveys: Assessing vegetation, seabirds, turtles, invertebrates and the presence of invasive species such as weeds, ants and scale insects. 
• Reef health assessments: Led by scientists from James Cook University, with a focus on “bright spot” reefs that have shown resilience to recent coral bleaching events. 
• Testing for high pathogenicity avian influenza (H5 bird flu): A staff member from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) will sample bird populations in remote offshore locations to support Australia’s biosecurity preparedness. 
• Marine debris removal: Removing plastics, fishing-related waste such as netting and ropes, and other litter impacting island ecosystems.
• Maintenance of Parks Australia signage. 

The expedition includes participants from Parks Australia, James Cook University, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, BoM, AESTRA, Mandubarra Aboriginal Land and Sea Inc. Indigenous Rangers, and volunteer botanists. 

Parks Australia manages 60 Australian Marine Parks around the country that protect nearly 3.8 million square kilometres of ocean, approximately 43% of Australian waters.