Attributes Working Group

This Working Group is developing a list of key attributes of a reef that is biophysically, socially and economically sustainable in the face of climate change. With this knowledge in hand, the sustainability of all coral reefs can be assessed to determine their resilience to climate change.

Working Group Members:

Name	Position	Institute	Expertise
Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (Chair)	Director , Global Change Institute	University of Queensland	Corals and climate change
Dr Natalie Ban	ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies	James Cook University	Conservation planning
Dr Catherine Collier	Post Doctoral Fellow, Plant & Agricultural Sciences	James Cook University	Seagrasses
Dr Guillermo Diaz-Pulido	Lecturer, Griffith School of Environment	Griffith University	Coral reef algae - reef degradation and climate change
Dr Katharina Fabricius	Principal Research Scientist	Australian Institute of Marine Science	Coral reef ecology and conservation, inshore benthic systems
Dr Simon Foale	Senior Lecturer, Arts, Education and Social Sciences	James Cook University	Social context, indigenous knowledge, politics
Dr Morgan Pratchett	ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies	James Cook University	Coral reef ecology, marine biogeography, herbivory
Prof. Bob Pressey	Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies	James Cook University	Conservation planning
Dr Catherine Robinson	Researcher, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems	CSIRO	Environmental governance systems, with a focus on cross-cultural and regional planning arrangements
Assoc. Prof. Natalie Stoeckl	Associate Professor, School of Business	James Cook University	Economic, environmental and natural resources management
Dr Hugh Sweatman	Leader of Long Term Monitoring Program	Australian Institute of Marine Science	Patterns of change in coral reef ecology, monitoring
Dr David Wachenfeld	Chief Scientist	Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority	Reef risk assessment, resilience as a response to climate change
Assoc. Prof., Michelle Waycott	Assoc. Prof., Plant and Agricultural Sciences	James Cook University	Genetics and evolution of Seagrasses
Prof. Bette Willis	Professor, School of Marine and Tropical Biology	James Cook University	Coral disease, coral life history

Working Group Progress

Since the inaugural Attributes Working Group meeting in November of 2008, the group has:

· undertaken an assessment of the local and global threats to the Great Barrier Reef, particularly relating to climate change factors;

· identified the most at-risk Reef components;

· identified an initial list of 11 biophysical and socio-economic Attributes of a Resilient Reef in the face of climate change; and

· identified key knowledge gaps and future research priorities.

The group is currently developing a draft framework that would enable the Attributes to be used to measure the impacts of climate change on the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.