Page 35 - Tropic Magazine Issue 35

TROPIC • COVER STORY

A week on the water
In just six days, JCU’s Reef
Women team surveyed:
120 sites across 45 reefs,
capturing 11,000+ images

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
volunteers were on board too, as
the expedition formed part of the
conservation group’s Great Reef Census;
an annual 12-week project that calls on
citizen scientists across the world to
capture and analyse survey images of
the Great Barrier Reef. Dr Chartrand
also leads the science delivery of this
mammoth multi-organisation endeavour.
“I think this project is a way for us to
capture the patchwork nature of the
Reef, in terms of some areas looking
spectacular while others have had severe
disturbance,” Dr Chartrand said.
“It’s an opportunity to teach people that
a reef system is not necessarily made up
solely of live coral. There are areas that
naturally consist of sand, rubble and Barrier Reef, despite the importance Census captured some 13,000 images in
other benthic communities that make up of these animals and their role in reef total over 12 weeks. JCU’s Reef Women
a healthy ecosystem for the reef. health,” Dr Chartrand said. “We helped team managed to collect more than
“Great Reef Census, with its scalability, collect some early data and trialled new 11,000 in just six days – making it the
presents an opportunity to look at these methods to feed into the monitoring biggest expedition of the second census.
important components of the World design in some shallower reef top areas. Dr Chartrand credits the collaboration
Heritage Area and start capturing this “We also invited researchers like JCU’s Dr between tourism operators, volunteers
more challenging information.” Karen Joyce, an expert in remote sensing and researchers among her all-female
The expedition group travelled to areas and aerial drone surveys of reef tops, to team, which was backed up by First
of the Reef that hadn’t yet been surveyed, join our expedition. Teaming up with Nations knowledge.
and trialled innovative new methods for other researchers helps maximise what “The focus of the trip was to bring
mapping marine populations. The aim we collect while we are out on these trips, together some of the outstanding women
was to provide complimentary data to the as it’s incredibly difficult with logistics researchers, not only in the science
existing detailed monitoring done across and budgets to have detailed monitoring community, but also the knowledge and
several smaller sites. programs in place that capture the expertise of women that are actively
“There is uncertainty around the status of condition of the Reef everywhere.” working out on the Reef every day,”
sea cucumber populations on the Great In 2020, its inaugural year, the Great Reef she said.

35 • tropicnow.com.au