Medium-term changes in coral populations of fringing reefs at Cape Tribulation

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate the medium-term effects of sediment run-off caused by the construction of a coastal road through rainforested catchments in late 1984 on the coral communities of the Cape Tribulation fringing reefs. In the absence of any pre-construction baseline we relied on surveys of two similar control locations, north and south of the potential impact location adjacent to the new road catchment, to determine the significance of any changes that occurred. The southern control was adjacent to the long-established portion of the road south of Cape Tribulation and the northern control adjacent to a small undisturbed catchment A preliminary three-year study had suggested that the road construction had no effect of the fringing reefs of this region (Ayling and Ayling 1991). It was also hoped that this longer-term study would shed some light on the nature of on-going changes in the benthic communities of fringing reefs in the Great Barrier Reef region.