The Jewel in the Coral Sea: The cultural and ecological significance of Ashmore and Boot Reefs

Ashmore and Boot Reefs in the far north of the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) have been identified through recent research as ‘bright spots’ within the CSMP, supporting higher cover and diversity of corals, and greater fish diversity and biomass than other CSMP reefs, and are considered the ‘jewel’ among Torres Strait reefs. Together with their potential ecological importance, Ashmore and Boot Reefs have cultural connections to the Meriam people. Despite the cultural and ecological significance of Ashmore and Boot Reefs our understanding of the habitats (both shallow and deep) within these reefs, the biodiversity they support, and the current status of culturally significant species is limited. James Cook University was awarded funding through an Our Marine Parks Round 3 Grant to investigate the cultural and ecological significance of Ashmore and Boot Reefs. Specifically, the key objectives of this project were to: (i) engage and collaborate with, and build capacity within, the Meriam people in the conduct of ecological surveys to assess the status of shallow and deep reef habitats; (ii) conduct extensive surveys of benthic, macro-invertebrate, and fish communities on Ashmore and Boot Reefs using a combination of diverbased and remote image-based technologies.

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