Aestra was engaged by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as the environmental delivery partner for the Restoration of Reef Islands Project.

Funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Project is being administered by the Reef Joint Field Management Program (a partnership between the Reef Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service) and aims to facilitate the rehabilitation of habitat values for selected islands in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Using our strategic planning skills, agile project management approach and western science expertise, we worked closely with the Reef Authority to:

• Co-develop an incremental approach to project delivery in consultation with key project partners, including Traditional Owners and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• In partnership with Traditional Owners, deliver environmental threat assessment on targeted islands north of Townsville. Surveys have focused on known active threats and islands with Pisonia grandis.
• Develop a prioritisation framework for addressing active and emerging threats to island habitats to inform future investment decision-making.
• In partnership with Traditional Owners and the Reef Joint Field Management Program, co-develop a Habitat Restoration Plan to be delivered in the implementation phase of the Project.

More information on the project is available on the Reef Authority’s website.

Photo credit: Brian Scantlebury, 2019