Traditional Owners hold important cultural and spiritual connections to Country, including sea Country on the Great Barrier Reef. These connections power deep knowledge and care for the Reef, and inherent rights and responsibility for its future.

One of the biggest challenges to effective reef restoration is applying interventions at scale, particularly in areas as vast as the Great Barrier Reef.

Over the last few years, AIMS and our collaborators have been developing a toolbox of interventions to help coral reefs recover from the effects of climate change, and resist warming temperatures caused by climate change.

AIMS is committed to supporting the next generation of marine scientists. We regularly collaborate with researchers across the world and have formal partnerships with Australian universities including James Cook University, the University of Western Australia, and Charles Darwin University for postgraduate students. 

Corals have vital, complex relationships with microorganisms. Microscopic algal symbionts are well known for providing corals with most of their energy. However, corals also associate with other microorganisms such as bacteria whose benefits range from nutrient cycling to protection against pathogens. 

Hybridisation is a process where eggs and sperm from two different species cross-fertilise to produce viable young.

In coral, this process occasionally occurs in nature. It increases genetic diversity and creates novel genetic combinations that may be beneficial for adaptation and confer resilience to changing climate conditions.  

Offshore wind energy is a form of renewable energy that harnesses strong and consistent winds over the ocean and transfers it into electricity networks on land. It is considered an attractive renewable resource because it can mitigate the effects of climate change. Already an established industry in the UK and Europe, this type of energy could play an important role in Australia’s future energy supply systems.