The Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station is situated at the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The Station provides accommodation, laboratory and aquarium facilities, and boats and diving equipment to scientists who come from all over the world to study the nearby coral reefs. About 60 research projects are conducted each year at the Station. A research trip can vary from a week up to several months, with many researchers visiting repeatedly throughout the year.
Research projects involving taxonomic studies have resulted in the discovery of coral reef animals that have never been scientifically described. 'New' species are still being found, even among conspicuous animals such as fishes and corals. Among less conspicuous groups, the number of species awaiting description is probably very large. Since the Research Station's inception in the 1970s, at least 100 new coral reef species have been described and named, including fishes, corals, worms, molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms.
The Research Station plays an important role in learning about biodiversity conservation by providing research and support facilities right on the reef. Plants and animals of coral reefs are increasingly threatened by direct and indirect human impacts such as deterioration of water quality, overfishing, and global warming. To conserve coral reef biodiversity, we need to know the biological and environmental requirements of the plants and animals that live there and this knowledge is provided by scientific research.
While knowledge of plants and animals living in coral reefs is important, protection of the reef habitat is the key to conserving reef biodiversity.
Anne Hoggett
Lizard Island Research Station
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2003
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