The Crown of Thorns Starfish Control Innovation Program (CCIP) is an innovative collaboration between the Barrier Reef Foundation and leading institutions with COTS expertise - AIMS, CSIRO, James Cook University and The University of Queensland. The research conducted by the CCIP directly improves the on-ground approach to coral protection, and therefore also coral reproduction and repopulation, by finding solutions to the COTS threat.
CPF's Associate Professor Pedro Fidelman led on policy and regulation and contributed to several projects within the program, such as:
Stakeholder perceptions and co-benefits (completed)
Project team: JCU (lead), UQ
This project provided the first empirical examination of GBR stakeholder perspectives related to COTS and their management. It leveraged sociocultural research planned as part of RRAP, extending those stakeholder engagements and interviews to measure perceptions of acceptability, risks and benefits related to COTS control. UQ’s role specifically involved assessing the regulatory and policy implications of selected novel control methods.
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control Innovation Program (CCIP) (completed)
CCIP worked on innovative and scalable ways to control crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) in the Great Barrier Reef, with the aim of reducing coral mortality from COTS outbreaks at high-value reefs. As part of CCIP feasibility and design phase, this project explored policy and regulatory implications of COTS control interventions, and identified research needs for CCIP R&D phase.