What we do

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Moving to better climes
23 July 2008: In the latest edition of the scientific journal Science, University of Queensland researchers, including the Chair of the CRTR Program's Centre of Excellence in Australasia, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, argue we need to consider the radical step of moving plants and animals, including marine life, to help them survive the impact of climate change. [Read summary]

Ultimate guide to managing coral disease
8 July 2008: The definitive management guide - handbook plus id cards for Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions - to identifying, assessing and managing coral reef diseases was launched at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) and can be ordered online now.
[Read media release] [Read summaries] [Order online]

Top award for CRTR researcher
21 May 2008: CRTR Program researcher, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, has been awarded the Queensland Government’s top science award. Chair of the CRTR Bleaching Working Group, and also of its Australasian Centre of Excellence, Professor Hoegh-Guldberg was one of the world's first scientists to show how projected changes in global climate threaten coral reefs including Australia's Great Barrier Reef......
[Read UQ News]

Indian Ocean coral shows partial recovery
15 May 2008: An unusual spike in sea temperatures a decade ago killed coral throughout the Indian Ocean, dropping the average healthy, hard coral cover to 15 percent of reefs from 40 percent before. CRTR researcher, Dr Tim McClanahan, said hard coral cover had recovered to 30 percent by 2005, although the data masked big variations.....
[Read Reuters Africa article]

Strange days on planet earth
5 May 2008: The award winning National Geographic program Strange Days on Planet Earth recently premiered Episode 6 (Dirty Secrets). This features the CRTR Program’s Roberto Iglesias-Prieto and his colleagues in the Caribbean who are “studying how CO2, one of our largest industrial waste products, is impacting coral reefs”.
[Read article]

What we do

Targeted Research and Capacity Building

The Coral Reef Targeted Research (CRTR) Program is seeking to fill the critical gaps in our global understanding of what determines coral reef ecosystem vulnerability and resilience to a range of key stressors – from localized human stress to climate change – and to inform policies and management interventions on behalf of the coral reefs and the communities that depend on them.

The Program is addressing key gaps in our knowledge and understanding of coral reefs, and putting new knowledge and technology into the hands of decision-makers and reef managers where it can make a difference. For the first time in history, this Program brings together, coordinates and focuses the skills and resources of many of the world’s leading coral reef scientists. A major focus of the CRTR Program is to build capacity in countries with coral reefs, to develop and sustain a robust research environment that continues to develop practical tools for policy shapers and reef managers. The Program is being developed in three phases over 15 years. The first and current five-year phase (2004-2009) involves three components:

Addressing knowledge and technology gaps
Promoting learning and capacity building
Linking scientific knowledge to management and policy

Research under the CRTR Program is carried out in four regional Centres of Excellence by international scientific Working Groups and researchers on six key themes:

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