This project involves the deployment of purpose-built Habitat Reef (HR) modules to restore lost reef structure and improve fish habitat along the Mackay coastline.
The Rubble to Reef project was designed with the intent of improving Reef resilience by addressing four main threats:
- Loss of natural Reef ecosystems due to strike impacts, cyclones, bleaching, etc.
- Lack of connected vertical relief substrate to facilitate recolonisation of coral reefs
- Fishing pressure on natural reefs
- Loss of complex juvenile habitat
The structures provide refuge for marine species, increase habitat complexity and support coral and other organisms to re-establish. Long-term monitoring over 30 years will track ecological outcomes, contributing valuable knowledge to reef restoration practices.
