Update: Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
18th January, 2024
We’re excited to announce that a new Reef Intervention Training (RIT) Program has launched on the Great Barrier Reef! This program is the next stage of The Reef Cooperative, a collaboration between some of the brightest minds working in reef conservation and funded by Cotton On Foundation.
The RIT program seeks to create positive change by providing opportunities for young Indigenous leaders to obtain comprehensive skills including dive training, survey methodologies, and MARRS Reef Star building and management across Yirrganydji and Gunggandji Sea Country on the Great Barrier Reef.
Tess Concannon and Tarquin Singleton, spearheading the Reef Cooperative program, commented:
“This initiative marks an important moment in reef conservation on the Great Barrier Reef. By equipping young Indigenous Rangers with specialised skills, we ensure sustainable stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef for generations to come.”
In 2022, we pledged $2 million AUD over three years to Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef (CGBR) as a founding partner of The Reef Cooperative. The first of its kind globally, The Reef Cooperative is a modern approach to reef conservation to protect marine wildlife and maintain diverse ecosystems, which has so far seen:
- The installation of 200 MARRS Reef Stars at two sites on Hastings Reef, providing a stable home for baby corals to grow
- 80 reefs surveyed by Traditional Owners, tourism bodies, university groups and divers
- 150,000 images analysed by volunteers from over 70 countries in the Great Reef Census (10,000 of which were analysed by the Cotton On team!)
We’re so proud of our work in this space to help save one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders. You can support these initiatives by purchasing a tote bag designed by Tarquin Singleton!
100% of proceeds from the sale of this tote bag will support Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef and The Reef Cooperative to deliver reef research and conservation activity.