Great Barrier Reef Restoration - An analysis of decision-maker perspectives and the decision context

Abstract

The need to reassess coral reef management and governance in the face of uncertainty is urgent. Without targeted management interventions, the predicted acceleration in climate change will have devastating impacts on coral reefs globally. The Great Barrier Reef is no exception. In addition to continuing climate change mitigation efforts and reducing local pressures, it has been suggested that feasibility of other, potentially riskier tools, such as restoration, need to be explored. However, as with any ecological intervention, for restoration projects on the GBR to be successful, acceptance and trust from all GBR stakeholders is vital. This research has been conducted with a favourable view towards pursuing restoration on the GBR. Using the values, rules, knowledge (vrk) perspective (Gorddard et al., 2016), this study aims to characterise the restoration decision context as the sets of vrk which inform decision-maker perceptions. This will: (a) help GBR stakeholders (including the Australian public) to better understand the reasons behind restoration decisions on the GBR, including a better understanding of the risks and benefits, and why certain outcomes are preferred, (b) enable decision makers to determine the extent to which the current decision context supports restoration options, and (c) consider whether the decision context needs to change. In combination with participant observation at the Great Barrier Reef Restoration Symposium in Cairns 2018, eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with those involved in protecting and managing the GBR and/or providing expert advice (i.e. those considered to be decision-makers) to draw out their perceived risks and benefits associated with reef restoration approaches, and their underlying work. This study finds that whilst the set of knowledge within the decision context is expanding and attitudes towards the need to keep learning are positive, knowledge is constrained by the interactions between sets of related values and rules. Significant links between values (maintaining face and a sense of achievement), rules (politics) and risk (social, political and economic risks) suggest these interactions are creating barriers to change. As these interactions are of a socio-political nature, if they are to change to support restoration, socio-political change is needed. This research suggests that in order to drive this change, decision-makers need to adjust formal rules (regulations, policies, permits etc.) to allow for new knowledge to be generated in small scale trials, thus mitigating some concerns about potential ecological harm (risks), so that more benefits than risks can be revealed. Communicating these benefits will increase social support for restoration. This support will feed back into the decision context to help drive the socio-political change necessary for restoration projects to be implemented on the GBR. Overall, these findings suggest that with increased social trust and acceptance the outlook for a restoration approach on the GBR is optimistic.