Funding to foster connection, education, and stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

The Great Barrier Reef Citizen Science Program provides up to $4.3 million in funding to deliver on the goals and strategic actions of the Reef 2050 Plan.

The Great Barrier Reef Citizen Science Program aims to tap into local knowledge and target the collection of data and metrics to enhance the understanding of ecological health and resilience indicators of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area (the Reef). This will help deliver on the goals and strategic actions of the Reef 2050 Plan.

Successful projects from the program will support citizen scientists to generate meaningful data.

The Australian Citizen Science Association’s definition of Citizen Science will be observed for this program: public participation and collaboration in scientific research with the aim to increase scientific knowledge.

The program’s objectives are to:

• enable the general public to contribute to Reef Trust Outcomes and the delivery of the Reef 2050 Plan
• build greater community participation and stewardship
• engage the public in science by offering opportunities to participate, as citizen scientists, in scientific research projects that enhance understanding of the impact of biodiversity conservation efforts and/or water quality improvements
• generate credible, reliable data that directly relates to the Great Barrier Reef which may support policy, program and management decision-making.

The program’s intended outcomes are to:

• support decision-making that is informed by cost effective, credible and reliable citizen science data to address key threats to the Reef’s health and resilience
• contribute to Reef Trust Outcomes and the Reef 2050 Plan
• increase uptake of voluntary stewardship behaviours amongst Reef communities
• increase community participation in scientific research projects where participants learn new skills, form new networks, receive acknowledgement for their participation, and receive updates on their participation in specific research projects.

The program will run from 2024-25 to 2029-30.