Just as the Reef itself is complex, so too are the jurisdictions with which it interacts, the research sector dedicated to its study and the responsibilities of its management. Moreover, the Reef environment is affected by what happens in adjacent paddocks and catchments, on the coast which borders it, nearby oceans and earth's atmosphere.
There are as many as sixteen organisations involved in scientific research on the Great Barrier Reef, including James Cook University, Queensland and Sydney Universities, the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, to name just a few.
The Reef is managed and regulated by the Australian and Queensland Government through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. A number of other regulatory bodies, at both state and national levels, also maintain a legislated interest in the Reef.
Together, the Australian and Queensland Governments spend more than $100 million annually in research and management activities on the Great Barrier Reef. The Foundation takes the view that it will not duplicate support for projects or priorities in which government spending is already adequate; instead it invests in projects which might be missing from current programs or in areas in which government and other investors either cannot or will not invest. The Foundation's Research Vision and Framework provides the mechanism to focus research investment.
