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Category: Reef Resilience

Colorful Coral in Lau, Fiji

When we conducted field research in Lau in 2013 we noticed that the coral reefs seemed to have an unusually large number of fluorescent, brightly colored corals, more than we’d seen in past expeditions. Our full report of research in

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Alex Dempsey delivers the findings of Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation research to officials in Fiji

Using Science For Conservation in Fiji

Scientists from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) surveyed coral reefs in Fiji in 2013. As part of the Foundation’s ambitious Global Reef Expedition the scientists gathered the most detailed data on these reefs ever collected. Now, with the

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COTS Control and Collection

COTS Control, Collection, and Conservation

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 18 Over a short three-week period, our team of four scientists collected over 7,500 crown of thorns starfish (COTS) from three locations off North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll in the Maldives. While this

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Anantara's Coral Reefs

Securing the Survival of Anantara’s reefs

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 17 Our third area of research in the Maldives involved recent outbreaks of COTS reported from South Malé Atoll near Anantara Dhigu and Veli. Marine Biologists Marta Rigo and Alba had first observed starfish in the

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Guard Crabs Pocillopora COTS

Courageous Crabs

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 13 Corals have very few defenses against crown of thorns starfish (COTS). Their shape may partially protect them, especially species with long, closely spaced branches that are inaccessible to the stomach of the starfish. There

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COTS Classroom

COTS Classroom

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 12 “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Baba Dioum This beautiful statement was spoken in

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Super Starfish COTS Reethi Rah

Super Stars

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 10 Crown of thorns starfish (COTS) are novel among the animal kingdom for many reasons. They can shed an appendage, or even lose more than half their body and survive by quickly re-growing the injured

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One & Only Reethi Rah

One & Only

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 9 What has been really interesting for us during this research mission are the differences between each resort; the people, the location, the resort, the transport, the reefs… After we finished working at Gili Lankanfushi

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Crown of Thorns Starfish Sources (COTS)

Sources of Starfish

Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 7 One of the most challenging questions we are regularly asked is where the crown of thorns starfish (COTS) come from. A reef can be unaffected for years or even decades and then suddenly thousands

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