Marine Monitoring Program: Annual Report Inshore Coral Reef Monitoring 2020-21

Abstract

This report details the condition of 30 inshore coral reefs monitored under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Monitoring Program and nine inshore coral reefs monitored by the Australian Institute of Marine Science's Long-Term Monitoring Program. Results are presented in the context of the pressures faced by the ecosystem and their ramifications for the long-term health of inshore coral reefs. Inshore reefs remained in an overall 'poor' condition in 2021. The cover of macroalgae, which compete with coral for space, has begun to decline leading to a modest improvement in scores for that indicator. The legacy of coral bleaching in 2020 and ongoing impacts of crown-of-thorns starfish in the Johnstone Russell Mulgrave sub-region have precluded improvement in other indicators.