CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH (COTS) CONTROL PROGRAM

Traditional Owners, as inherent rights holders, are culturally connected to the Great Barrier Reef and through this have a deep understanding of its ecosystem dynamics.

Living in harmony for several thousand generations, Traditional Owners understand that where there is balance – the Reef thrives. Over more recent times, Traditional Owners share growing concerns about key threats to the health of the Reef such as outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS).

What are COTS?

These coral-eating starfish occur naturally on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Great Barrier Reef. In normal numbers on healthy coral reefs, COTS are an important part of the ecosystem. They tend to eat the faster growing corals which gives the slower growing species a chance to catch up, enhancing the coral diversity of our reefs.

However, when the starfish appear in outbreak proportions, they can strip a healthy reef of 90% of its corals. This is one of the most significant threats facing the Great Barrier Reef, and dedicated teams of divers are out on the Reef every day taking action to control outbreaks of these coral predators. By protecting the Reef from this threat, it has a better chance of being able to withstand the stresses caused by climate change.

What is Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish Control?

The COTS Control Program (CCP) is the largest in-water intervention program to protect corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Part of the Reef Trust Partnership, the control program has so far culled over 1 million COTS and protected more than 700,000 hectares of high-value coral reefs, helping ensure a healthy and biodiverse Great Barrier Reef.

Through the co-design process, Traditional Owners identified key aspects of inclusion and participation in this work, with the aim of meaningfully collaborating with Reef managers, researchers and COTS divers to develop and implement solutions that help restore balance to the Reef ecosystem.

The following are key areas of focus for Traditional Owners to advance partnerships with others:  

• Traditional Owner involvement in the decision making used to guide investment in COTS control, and the overarching program design
• Strong leadership, empowerment and technical skills in COTS control, with the goal to realise increased qualifications across all facets of this work
• Tangible career pathways that include specialised, culturally appropriate training and employment opportunities that are built into the design and delivery of the CCP
• Some Traditional Owners have already successfully obtained grants for their Rangers to receive local training and qualifications – significantly improving their options to enter the service industry and explore fee-for-service arrangements in the future

A better path forward

Traditional Owners also identified some important changes to the way COTS control activities are conducted on Country, as well as how data is used, stored and shared.

• Traditional Owners are working to achieve greater communication and transparency around activities happening on the Reef. To achieve this, they are asking teams involved in COTS control work to engage early with Traditional Owner communities whose sea Country is being accessed. This includes letting Traditional Owner groups know prior to visiting their sea Country where and when an activity will take place, so they are informed about the visit and intention. Traditional Owners have also asked to receive a report about the condition of their sea Country following the trip, so they can learn about the health and condition of Country in the event of a COTS outbreak.

• Traditional Owners are interested in learning more about the research, science and data that is generated by the CCP and request teams share their COTS data in a summarised form. This is so Traditional Owners can better understand what is happening on their Country, including progress of on-water COTS control activities against overarching COTS control management goals; the latest COTS control research; and gain a better knowledge of how implementation strategies vary in accordance with the differing stages of the COTS outbreak cycle.

• Traditional Owners have expressed that while they are interested in becoming skilled and experienced COTS divers, they also wish to expand on opportunities around tactical surveillance and reconnaissance work (as these also provide important opportunities for mapping cultural values); as well as increased skills to undertake Reef Health Indicator Surveys and data management.

As Traditional Owners continue to grow their capacity in the COTS control space, aspirations include becoming important contributors in the coordination between surveillance teams and the COTS control activities on-Reef, moving towards opportunities to be considered as COTS control service providers in the future.