Corals on the Great Barrier Reef recovering

A fast-growing stony coral variety is responsible for northern and central parts of the Great Barrier Reef recovering from damage faster than expected. This was revealed in a press release from the Australian government to coincide with the publication of a new report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

According to the report, coral growth in parts of the reef over the last year was on a scale not recorded since the monitoring programme began 36 years ago. The Institute attributed this growth primarily to the Acropora stony coral genus, species of which grow extremely rapidly in favourable conditions.

In the centre of the reef, however, far fewer new corals were present and in the south, coral cover had even decreased. “The results show that the reef can still recover in periods without acute disturbances,” said the chief executive of the Institute of Marine Science, Paul Hardisty. He warned, however, that cyclones, fresh bleaching events and the increased occurrence of crown-of-thorns starfish could quickly undo the recovery achieved.