SCIENTISTS WORK TO PROTECT NINGALOO FROM CLIMATE IMPACTS

Coral at Ningaloo Reef. Credit: Ryan McMinds / Joe Pollock, Creative Commons.

A scientific research project is working on Ningaloo Reef to explore ways to grow and breed better heat resistant corals to meet the challenges of climate change. 

The project is being funded and led by the Minderoo Foundation and uses the talents of scientists and researchers from universities from around the world. 

Minderoo Foundation’s Principal Scientist Dr Kate Quigley said the project is important to understanding the impacts of climate change on WA’s marine ecosystems. 

“It’s really important because water temperatures around the world and indeed around Australia are warming up, so we’re seeing that corals are having to withstand warmer and warmer water temperatures,” she said.

“And so we’re trying to understand which are the locations along the WA coastline that are going to fare worse and which ones are going to fare better under warming temperatures.”

Listen to the full interview with Dr Kate Quigley below.