Selected
Macquarie Community Resilience Prize

Reef Census Skills Training

Building climate resilience capability in Sea Country management through AI-assisted reef monitoring and intelligence.

Team Leader
Belinda Flanders
Building climate resilience capability in Sea Country management through AI-assisted reef monitoring and intelligence.

The Problem

Reefs sustain 500 million livelihoods and Australia's $6 billion reef economy. Yet reef change is outpacing our ability to monitor and respond. Across Sea Country, ranger groups carry stewardship responsibility but lack scalable, AI-enabled tools to convert field observations into the timely climate intelligence that community-led reef stewardship depends on.

The Solution

Our solution combines in-water reef image collection with artificial intelligence to generate accessible, large-scale reef intelligence. During the Great Reef Census, Sea Country rangers and local participants capture standardised reefscape images and upload them to the Citizens of the Reef platform, where a scientifically validated human–AI system analyses coral cover, bleaching, rubble, and reef condition with 97–99% accuracy compared to expert assessment. Interactive maps and dashboards then surface priority reefs, thermal refugia, coral trends, and areas requiring intervention - turning observations across 300 reefs (25% of the 2,300km system) into actionable insights for reef managers.

Alongside the platform, we enable structured training in safe survey methods, digital workflows, AI-assisted analysis, and data interpretation. Participants build skills in freediving, ecological monitoring, climate data literacy, and resilience mapping. The result is a scalable, cost-effective system that strengthens local capability, improves access to reef intelligence, and supports informed, community-led Sea Country stewardship. greatreefcensus.org

Stats

Over the past four years, more than 15,000 virtual volunteers and citizen scientists across 120+ countries have analyzed coral imagery through the Great Reef Census platform.

What is the name of your organization?
Citizens of the Reef
What is the name of your solution?
Reef Census Skills Training
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Building climate resilience capability in Sea Country management through AI-assisted reef monitoring and intelligence.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Cairns
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Australia
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Reefs sustain 500 million livelihoods and Australia's $6 billion reef economy. Yet reef change is outpacing our ability to monitor and respond. Across Sea Country, ranger groups carry stewardship responsibility but lack scalable, AI-enabled tools to convert field observations into the timely climate intelligence that community-led reef stewardship depends on.
What is your solution?
Our solution combines in-water reef image collection with artificial intelligence to generate accessible, large-scale reef intelligence. During the Great Reef Census, Sea Country rangers and local participants capture standardised reefscape images and upload them to the Citizens of the Reef platform, where a scientifically validated human–AI system analyses coral cover, bleaching, rubble, and reef condition with 97–99% accuracy compared to expert assessment. Interactive maps and dashboards then surface priority reefs, thermal refugia, coral trends, and areas requiring intervention - turning observations across 300 reefs (25% of the 2,300km system) into actionable insights for reef managers. Alongside the platform, we enable structured training in safe survey methods, digital workflows, AI-assisted analysis, and data interpretation. Participants build skills in freediving, ecological monitoring, climate data literacy, and resilience mapping. The result is a scalable, cost-effective system that strengthens local capability, improves access to reef intelligence, and supports informed, community-led Sea Country stewardship. greatreefcensus.org
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves two groups: Sea Country ranger teams managing reef systems on Country, and a global network of virtual reef analysts. Pillar 1 — Sea Country Managers (Place-Based Climate Workforce). Rangers, with wages supported in-kind, form the frontline climate workforce. Prize funding strengthens their capability through accredited in-water safety and ecological survey training, AI-assisted image capture, and reef intelligence deployment aligned with Crown-of-Thorns control, AIMS eDNA science, and marine park systems — increasing digital data literacy, cross-agency collaboration, employability, and funding competitiveness. Pillar 2 — Virtual Volunteer Climate Workforce (Distributed Digital Analysts). A global network of more than 15,000 volunteers validate and refine AI reef analyses through digital training, gaining ecological classification skills, data quality experience, and climate risk interpretation. This expands monitoring capacity at low marginal cost, builds climate literacy at scale, and creates pathways into conservation technology careers. These pillars strengthen community-led reef stewardship while scaling climate resilience globally.

Organization Type:
Nonprofit

Headquarters:
Cairns, Australia

Stage:
Growth

Working In:
Australia

Solution Website:
https://greatreefcensus.org/

Solution Team:
Belinda Flanders
Belinda Flanders
Partnership Coordinator