“To drive conservation at the scale now required for reefs around the world, we need to engage local reef communities, leading scientists, and people power to target the best places for intervention and conservation impact”, said Andy Ridley, CEO of Citizens of the Reef.
“The Great Reef Census was developed to compliment existing monitoring programs by gathering large-scale data. This is made possible by people already out on the water, like Sophie and Jan, and thousands of citizen scientists around the world.”
By combining in-water imagery with AI-supported analysis and structured review by volunteers, Citizens of the Reef converts public participation into data suitable for scientific and management use.
Following the initial sighting, a coordinated verification effort combined manual underwater measurements with high-resolution surface imagery to construct a detailed three-dimensional model of the coral.
Spatial modelling was undertaken in collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology Centre for Robotics, with imagery capture supported by Biopixel.
“The benefit of this kind of spatial data is that we can take measurements at very high resolution,” said Serena Mou, Research Engineer at the QUT Centre for Robotics. “It also means we can return in future months and years and make direct, one-to-one comparisons to understand how the coral changes over time.”
The site itself is characterised by strong tidal currents and comparatively low exposure to cyclonic wave energy — environmental factors now under investigation as scientists seek to understand how such a vast coral structure has persisted.
Scientists stress that the identification of an exceptionally large coral colony should not be interpreted as evidence that reef systems are recovering or that climate pressures are easing. Rather, it highlights the uneven responses of reef ecosystems to environmental stress — and the importance of locating and safeguarding potential strongholds.
“Discoveries like this are significant because the reef still holds so many unknowns, and we don’t know what we stand to lose,” said Sophie Kalkowski-Pope. “I think this shows why reef conservation efforts like the Great Reef Census matter now more than ever.”
The coral’s exact location is being withheld to reduce the risk of unintended impacts. Imagery has been reviewed to prevent site identification, and relevant management authorities have been informed to support long-term stewardship.