Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... For industry
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... Partner with us
  4. arrow_forward_ios ... Giving
  5. arrow_forward_ios Donor Impact Report 2021
  6. arrow_forward_ios Reef regeneration

Reef regeneration

explore
  • Donor Impact Report 2021
    • arrow_forward Building a biodegradable, bioplastic future
    • arrow_forward Inspiring generations of future designers
    • arrow_forward Justice for victims of modern slavery
    • arrow_forward New and continuing donors in 2021
    • arrow_forward Professor Shirley Alexander’s enduring legacy
    • arrow_forward Reef regeneration
    • arrow_forward Remembering Lawrence: honouring a UTS equity advocate
    • arrow_forward With sincere thanks

A unique partnership between beverage company Diageo and UTS researchers working on the Coral Nurture Program is offering new hope for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

— To build reef resilience
we need to maintain the coral cover

and biodiversity, but also mitigate
the stresses that the reef is facing.

So primarily, this would be addressing
the threat of climate change;

but also local stressors
such as water quality and pollution.

So through the Coral Nurture Program,
we're trying to build resilience, buy

time for the reefs while we get that
global action on climate change.

Help ensure that biodiversity and coral
cover is maintained into the future.

And also ensure
the socio economic resilience

of the tour operators
and other key stakeholders of the reef.

— Our approach to reef conservation
is really different

to others out there.

It really is an equitable partnership
between the stakeholders

and the scientists.

And that's really important because that's
what enables us to build scale,

and the model is quite straightforward.

So all of the operators are out there
planting coral.

That enables us to do

science at scales never possible before,
and really provides the answers of

how to do this better to the operators;
and they can continue to grow the scale.

So we have
what's called a positive feedback loop.

It's a really unique model.

Since the proof of concept stage, over
an eight month period, we've had another

70,000 corals that have been outplanted,
scaling across 20 different sites.

So that shows the scalability
that can be achieved in a relatively small

time scale.

— From the very outset,

we not only believed in
what they were doing

and could see the potential
of how big and scalable it could be,

which is really important
for a brand and a company like Diageo,

but equally they were such easy people
to deal with.

They understood what we were trying to do
and what our objectives were.

We understood what their objectives were,
and we found a lovely, happy medium

for us both to come together and

achieve hopefully a fantastic
mutual outcome — for both parties

and ultimately for the great Barrier
Reef and its long term future.

We also happen to have a pretty impressive

spirits distillery at the southern
tip of the Great Barrier Reef.

So we felt like there was
a really big opportunity and almost

an onus on us as a big manufacturer
to do our bit, to help our own backyard.

And what better part of Australia
and the world to help than

arguably our greatest national treasure
in the Great Barrier Reef itself.

— Diageo's support

for the project
has been an absolute game changer for us.

So the support directly

goes to the operators and that has meant
they can keep planting during periods

especially when there are tourism
downturns.

And COVID 19 was a really good example
of when we simply had no tourists.

The other really critical angle
that Diageo provides

for us is the external visibility
to a huge network of supporters.

And it means that the messages

that we can really communicate
about the success of the program,

not just in terms of the ecological gains,
but also the social gains to all of the

operators and the stakeholder livelihoods,
reaches a really wide community.

Wider
than we can possibly do by ourselves.

—So ultimately,
if there is the passion, the motivation,

the desire of our industry partners,
if we as scientists

can continue to bring the knowledge
that's needed and continue this

harmonious partnership,
then ultimately the scope is limitless.

— So other community

stakeholders can quite simply get involved
by supporting the tourism operators.

Do not give up on the reef.

Visit the reef and see the incredible
action that all of the local communities

that are rehabilitating
the reef can can really achieve.

Whether that's

maintaining the existing healthy sites
or rebuilding some of the degraded areas.

Every visitor counts right now, and
that supports our process even further.

The Coral Nurture Program, part of the UTS Climate Change Cluster, is a world-first partnership between reef researchers and local businesses, helping to sustain the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

The program provides long-term support for the reef to thrive, adapting to local stressors in a way that is sustainable both environmentally and economically.

Community action is at the heart of the program. Tourism companies and local businesses are directly involved with coral outplanting. Over 20,000 corals have been planted across nine major reef sites so far, alongside other activities to safeguard the reef from issues such as climate stress and predatory crown-of-thorns starfish.

A key supporter of the program is the Reeftip Drinks Company – a new line introduced by beverage producer Diageo with 10% of profits committed to the Coral Nurture Program. This support is a huge boost to coral outplanting as well as the program’s ongoing research. 

Hear from Dr Emma Camp and Professor David Suggett, co-founders of the Coral Nurture Program, alongside Diageo’s Hayden Abercrombie, as they discuss the impact the Reeftip Drinks Company has made across 2021.
 

Related Links

Building a biodegradable, bioplastic future

Justice for victims of modern slavery

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility