Protecting Great Barrier Reef resilience through effective management of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks

by Samuel A. Matthews, David H. Williamson, Roger Beeden, Michael J. Emslie, Rickard T. M. Abom, Daniel Beard, Mary Bonin, Peran Bray, Adriana R. Campili, Daniela M. Ceccarelli, Leanne Fernandes, Cameron S. Fletcher, Dan Godoy, Christopher R. Hemingson, Michelle J. Jonker, Bethan J. Lang, Sheriden Morris, Enrique Mosquera, Gareth L. Phillips, Tane H. Sinclair-Taylor, Sascha Taylor, Dieter Tracey, Jennifer C. Wilmes, Richard Quincey

Resilience-based management is essential to protect ecosystems in the Anthropocene. Unlike large-scale climate threats to Great Barrier Reef (GBR) corals, outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS; Acanthaster cf. solaris) can be directly managed through targeted culling. Here, we evaluate the outcomes of a decade of strategic COTS management in suppressing outbreaks and protecting corals during the 4^th COTS outbreak wave at reef and regional scales (sectors). We compare COTS density and coral cover dynamics during the 3^rd and 4^th outbreak waves. During the 4th outbreak wave, sectors that received limited to no culling had sustained COTS outbreaks causing significant coral losses. In contrast, in sectors that received timely and sufficient cull effort, coral cover increased substantially, and outbreaks were suppressed with COTS densities up to six-fold lower than in the 3^rd outbreak wave. In the Townsville sector for example, despite exposure to comparable disturbance regimes during the 4^th outbreak wave, effective outbreak suppression coincided with relative increases in sector-wide coral cover (44%), versus significant coral cover declines (37%) during the 3^rd outbreak wave. Importantly, these estimated increases span entire sectors, not just reefs with active COTS control. Outbreaking reefs with higher levels of culling had net increases in coral cover, while the rate of coral loss was more than halved on reefs with lower levels of cull effort. Our results also indicate that outbreak wave progression to adjoining sectors has been delayed, probably via suppression of COTS larval supply. Our findings provide compelling evidence that proactive, targeted, and sustained COTS management can effectively suppress COTS outbreaks and deliver coral growth and recovery benefits at reef and sector-wide scales. The clear coral protection outcomes demonstrate the value of targeted manual culling as both a scalable intervention to mitigate COTS outbreaks, and a potent resilience-based management tool to “buy time” for coral reefs, protecting reef ecosystem functions and biodiversity as the climate changes.