The Reef Authority, is delighted to announce the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (COTS) Control Program has been named the winner of the Biodiversity category for the 34th Banksia National Sustainability Awards. – Australia’s longest running and most prestigious sustainability awards.

The COTS Control Program is delivered in partnership between the Reef Authority, the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and other community partners to deliver such great outcomes for the Reef.

Since 2018, our highly trained COTS culling teams have delivered over 65,000 dive hours using field intelligence gathered by Marine Park rangers, researchers, tourism operators, community members, and Traditional Owners to track, predict and respond to COTS outbreaks in the Marine Park. This has resulted in protecting more than 350 coral reefs - some 750,000 hectares - from the devastating impacts of the coral-eating starfish.

This prestigious award recognises the outstanding efforts of our program partners in delivering a paradigm shift in our capacity to defend coral and biodiversity on the Great Barrier Reef.