Dear members, supporters, and friends of the Coral Sea Foundation, welcome to the latest edition of Coral Sea News! We are excited to share some of the highlights of our marine conservation work around the Great Barrier Reef and Papua New Guinea over the first half of 2025.
Latest Training Program – Goolboodi Orpheus Island Research Station
The Sea Women Great Barrier Reef training program hit another milestone, delivering its 5th major training expedition since the program began in 2023. This program was based at the JCU Goolboddi (Orpheus) Island Research Station and ran over 12 days on Manbarra sea-country surrounding the Palm Islands and adjacent mid-shelf platform reefs. The group of 10 women included senior ranger mentors from the MinggaMingga, Girringun and Mamu ranger groups along the North Queensland coast, up and coming trainee rangers from each of these groups, and Coral Sea Foundation marine science staff.
The aim of this program was to unite Indigenous female rangers, develop their leadership capability, and enhance their marine science and conservation skills so they can more effectively contribute to monitoring and protecting sea country. Participants developed skills in snorkelling, underwater photographic surveys, small vessel operation, GPS navigation, and maritime expedition coordination. Reefs surveys were undertaken at a number of different locations on both inshore and mid-shelf reefs, while underwater manta ray sightings added new individuals to the global manta database.
Equally important was the opportunity for the women to forge new friendships, network together, and share traditional knowledge and their contemporary experiences as sea country rangers. The experience and learnings from this expedition will help us continue to develop the Sea Women GBR program and we are already planning the next round of activities scheduled for later this year.
We respectfully acknowledge MinggaMingga Ranger Coordinator Natalie Friday for delivering an Acknowledgment of Country and for generously sharing her knowledge of the traditional and ongoing cultural connections to the Palm Islands held by both the Manbarra and Bwgcolman peoples. We also wish to thank our supporting partners in the Sea Women GBR program: The Wright Burt Foundation, Sarah & Sebastian, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, QLD Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund, Funding Network, Jock Clough Marine Foundation, Daughters of the Deep, and Queensland Women.
Welcome Big Blue Ocean Foundation
We’re excited to welcome Big Blue Ocean as new supporters of the Sea Women of the Great Barrier Reef Program. Their commitment to ocean conservation aligns perfectly with our mission to empower Indigenous women as leaders in marine protection.
Big Blue Ocean Foundation focuses on supporting grassroots marine conservation initiatives that create a lasting impact through community engagement. Their understanding that effective ocean protection comes from those who know these waters best, which makes them natural partners for our Sea Women of the Great Barrier Reef Program.
This partnership enables us to continue training Indigenous women in practical marine science skills, combining traditional knowledge with modern monitoring techniques. It’s support like this that allows the program to expand and deepen its impact across the sea country from Palm Island to Innisfail.
We’re grateful for Big Blue Ocean Foundation’s recognition of the important role Indigenous women play in reef conservation and their investment in building local capacity for long-term marine stewardship.
Recognition for Sea Women: Naomi Longa Featured in Sarah & Sebastian’s Ocean Conservation Spotlight
Sea Women of Melanesia Co-Director Naomi Longa was recently featured in Sarah & Sebastian’s journal, highlighting her remarkable journey from dreaming of scuba diving in primary school to leading groundbreaking marine conservation work across Papua New Guinea and Australia.
The article showcases Naomi’s deep connection to her ancestral waters around Kimbe Bay and her family’s customary ownership of nearby coral reefs. It highlights her proudest achievement: establishing the first Locally Managed Marine Area at her mother’s island of Harengan in Manus Province, later showcased to the National Geographic Pristine Seas team in 2024.
Sarah & Sebastian’s feature emphasises how Naomi’s work directly engages Indigenous women in Papua New Guinea and Australia, empowering them with skills and resources to protect their communities and coral reefs. The article captures her perspective on community-led conservation and her recent submersible dive to 450 meters, which deepened her appreciation for the ocean’s undiscovered depths.
This recognition through Sarah & Sebastian’s platform brings valuable visibility to the grassroots approach of the Sea Women programs and the critical role of Indigenous women in marine conservation. It demonstrates how our community-focused model resonates beyond traditional conservation circles, reaching new audiences who value authentic environmental stewardship.
The feature reinforces Coral Sea Foundation’s mission: empowering local communities creates lasting change for marine ecosystems.
Sea Women Collaborate with AIMS for the development of the ReefCloud Community Dashboard in PNG.
The Coral Sea Foundation and the Sea Women of Melanesia have partnered with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to support the development of the ReefCloud Community Dashboard, a digital platform that will assist local communities and management agencies in PNG to rapidly access information about the status of corals and fishes in the marine protected areas managed by our partner communities.
The ReefCloud system uses A.I. to analyse coral reef survey imagery with 80-90% accuracy and 700 times faster than traditional manual methods. The Sea Women of Melanesia teams have been at the forefront of using ReefCloud in PNG for several years, with data freely available on the public ReefCloud Dashboard here.
In the ReefCloud Community Dashboard project, the Sea Women of Melanesia will work closely with our Indigenous partner communities to help develop a digital application that provides reef status information from their own Locally Managed Marine Areas, in a format that is relevant to the needs of the community and recognises the traditional ecological and customary knowledge linked to the marine life found on their reefs. Work will take place in Milne Bay and Central provinces, and we will also liaise with two government marine management agencies to develop features suited to their objectives in PNG.
This collaboration supports the Sea Women of Melanesia’s mission to promote sustainable reef management through better data access. The platform ensures monitoring information reaches communities and organisations working in remote areas with limited resources, enabling smarter conservation decisions based on current, accurate data.
Milne Bay Team Drives Community-Led Reef Protection
In 2025, the Milne Bay Sea Women of Melanesia (SWoM) team delivered a powerful mix of science, training, and grassroots engagement to advance marine conservation across the province.
Early in the year, the team launched a series of 5-day capacity building programs, training two cohorts of local women in reef survey techniques, species ID, GPS use, field logistics, and the ReefCloud.ai system. These sessions combined desktop learning with practical reef surveys at Divinai, Lelehudi, and Mahabalina—empowering a new generation of marine conservation leaders.
The team conducted extensive community outreach, including awareness campaigns in Bubuleta, Topura, Lelehudi, and Nuakata. These sessions addressed the benefits of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), sustainable fishing, and reef health. The installation of LMMA markers at Salupa and the formation of reef monitoring teams in partnership with local landowners marked major steps toward formal marine protection.
A highlight of the year was the field visit by Her Excellency Anne Macro, British High Commissioner, and Dr. Igo Gari, Milne Bay Provincial Administrator. Their joint reef survey and participation in a COTS removal dive underscored high-level support for SWoM’s work. They toured multiple LMMA sites, including Topura and Lelehudi, and met with clan leaders preserving reef heritage and biodiversity.
Reef health surveys at six sites within Milne Bay revealed encouraging signs of resilience, with minimal bleaching despite record heat stress. More than 200 geotagged images and fish census data were uploaded to ReefCloud.ai, enhancing transparency and informing LMMA planning.
The Milne Bay team is building real capacity for Indigenous-led reef management in the eastern Coral Triangle, and our work in this biodiversity hot-spot is supported by the OCEAN Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme, Steamships PNG, Sall Family Foundation, Whitley Fund for Nature, Jock Clough Marine Foundation, and Kristin Lindblad.
Port Moresby Team: Tubusereia Community Partnership
The Port Moresby Sea Women of Melanesia team has made remarkable progress in 2025, combining science, community engagement, and capacity-building to support marine conservation in Central Province.
Key efforts have focused on the reefs in the Bootless Bay National Marine Sanctuary surrounding Tubusereia Village, where the team completed multiple reef survey expeditions at Loloata, Horse-shoe, Daromia, Kepo, Nega-nega, and Mumuna reefs. Using a mix of fish count transects and geotagged photo surveys, they quantified coral cover and fish biodiversity in the area—essential information needed to inform marine conservation planning in this National Marine Sanctuary. These data are now available on the ReefCloud.ai Public Dashboard.
In February, the team presented these findings to Tubusereia’s clan leaders, elders, and fishers, sparking productive discussions on establishing a Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA). A six-member local committee was formed to lead this effort, and in June, the team hosted a two-day Mini-LMMA Workshop at Sanadee Hall. With participation from leaders, women, youth, and church representatives, the workshop covered coral and fish ID, sustainable fishing practices, and community-led mapping of proposed LMMA zones.
Field efforts were complemented by diver training. Two new team members, Sereana Geno and Elizabeth Basho, completed their PADI Open Water Diver certification at Loloata Island Resort, expanding the team’s capacity for underwater monitoring.
With strong community support and growing scientific capability, the Port Moresby team is driving a grassroots conservation movement in Bootless Bay—helping to restore reef health and secure traditional sea country for future generations.
Special thanks go to our partners and sponsors, including the British High Commission Port Moresby, Steamships PNG, Sall Family Foundation, Swire Pacific Shipping, Jock Clough Marine Foundation, and Kristin Lindblad.
New Protected Areas Expand Marine Conservation in Kimbe Bay
The Pelelua Reefs Locally Managed Marine Area in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, has been officially ratified by the PNG Government, marking a significant milestone for marine conservation in the eastern Coral Triangle biodiversity hotspot.
Located in the traditional sea country of the people from Mai and Buluma villages on the West New Britain coast, this newest LMMA represents an important step forward in expanding marine protected areas in the Bismarck Sea region. The momentum for marine conservation continues around Kimbe, with community engagement meetings held by SWoM at Morokea and Ruango villages, resulting in community approval for new LMMAs at the Vohi Reefs and Bulubulu Reefs in Kimbe Bay.
The Sea Women of Melanesia are collaborating with these local communities to boost reef resilience and ensure sustainable fisheries while preserving marine biodiversity for future generations. Despite recent challenges from Crown of Thorns seastar outbreaks that have reduced coral cover, the reefs continue to support high biodiversity typical of their location in the Coral Triangle.
Community engagement has been central to the project’s success. At Ruango Village, strong community support emerged for creating the Bulubulu Reefs LMMA, with elder women expressing enthusiasm about younger Sea Women of Melanesia team members taking on reef conservation roles. The community has witnessed firsthand the decline in fish catches over recent decades due to overfishing, and is keen to take action.
Many thanks to the Kimbe Sea Women of Melanesia-PNG team and the community leaders at Buluma, Mai, Morokea, and Ruango villages for their dedication to this work. The conservation efforts are being supported through partnerships with Whitley Fund for Nature, Sall Family Foundation, and Steamships PNG, demonstrating the collaborative approach needed for effective marine protection in this globally significant biodiversity region.
New Artwork: “Solwara Meri” Celebrates Papua New Guinea’s Ocean Guardians
The Sea Women of Melanesia are thrilled to share details of their new figurehead image “Solwara Meri”, created under commission by celebrated Papua New Guinean artist Grim Jordan.
We have long admired Grim Jordan‘s incredible artistic talent and his support for the women of PNG, so it was natural for us to ask him to apply his skill to create an art piece that represented a strong female ocean guardian and combined elements of the ocean and traditional women’s attire from the different coastal regions where we work.
If you look closely, you will see motifs from Milne Bay, Central, and West New Britain provinces all integrated into the final design, creating a powerful visual representation of the diverse regions where our teams protect marine ecosystems.
This commission represents more than just artwork – it’s a celebration of the vital role that Sea Women of Melanesia play in ocean conservation. The piece captures the strength and deep connection to the sea that defines our community-based approach to marine protection.
We are confident this stunning artwork will help us continue to raise awareness of the incredible marine resources of PNG and the important role that Sea Women play in sustainably managing the ocean for the benefit of all of us.
PNG Sea Women at United Nations Oceans Conference in France
Coral Sea Foundation Director Angela Pennefather and Sea Women of Melanesia ambassador Rachel James attended the 3rd UN Ocean Conference to represent SWoM and raise awareness of the work that SWoM is doing in the seas of Papua New Guinea. After the conference, Angela reflected:
Attending UNOC has left me humbled, inspired, and more determined than ever to use whatever small capacity I have to drive meaningful change.
My biggest takeaway? The future of our ocean and the global blue economy cannot be secured without the leadership of Pacific Island nations.
“We are small, but we are mighty.”
Our Indigenous coastal communities may not be the ones driving destruction in the ocean, but we do hold the power to lead the solutions. The time for waiting on government alone has passed—we must act from the ground up.
Traditional landowners, guardians of some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on earth, have the power to deliver on the 30×30 goals—not just in policy, but in practice. Our strength lies in ownership. Now we must learn to harness it—for our grandchildren.
Whether from Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Niue, Palau, Cook Islands, PNG or beyond, our Pacific Ocean binds us in a language older than words. She is part of us, and her survival is our survival.
DMAC Marine Conservation Training Program at Yunbenun, Magnetic Island
The DMAC Marine Conservation Training Program is bridging generations of ocean knowledge at Magnetic Island (Yunbenun), where traditional Wulgurukaba sea country management meets cutting-edge reef monitoring techniques. Funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Helping Country grant series, this partnership with Djulin Marine Aboriginal Corporation is training Indigenous traditional owners in boat driving, GPS navigation, snorkeling, and reef survey methods.
We took advantage of January’s excellent visibility around the island to examine spatial variability in reef structure between different locations. We dived at Whitfield Cove, Arthur Bay, and Gowrie Bay, allowing our trainees to witness firsthand how coral and fish communities varied between sites only kilometers apart, as well as different levels of recovery from Cyclone Kirrily a year ago.
Emerging traditional owner Hayden Johnson is among the participants learning to document these reef variations. It was a pleasure to get out on sea country around Yunbenun with Hayden, who had a fantastic time snorkeling in Florence Bay, collecting reef survey images, and examining how much the reef community can vary from place to place in just one bay. Close-up views of a green turtle and Six-banded Angelfish were highlights, along with the spectacular scenery of the Yunbenun coastline.
The timing couldn’t be better—recent surveys show coral communities making a strong recovery from the cyclone, though Geoffrey Bay reveals mixed conditions with some corals still showing stress from the 2025 wet season. We were pleased to observe healthy coral communities, abundant fish life, and even a Green Turtle during our dives.
Reef survey imagery from all three sites has been uploaded to our ReefCloud.ai project platform, contributing valuable data to ongoing monitoring efforts. What makes this program truly powerful is its foundation in traditional sea country knowledge, enhanced by modern monitoring tools. Participants aren’t just learning techniques—they’re becoming the next generation of reef guardians, equipped to protect and manage their ancestral waters with both ancient wisdom and contemporary science.
Coral Sea Foundation Fundraising Platform – Made Simple for Ocean Lovers
Our GoFundRaise platform makes it easy for anyone to support marine conservation work. Whether you’re organizing a birthday fundraiser, hosting a community event, or simply want to rally friends around ocean protection, the platform provides simple tools to make a real difference.
Setting up a campaign takes just a few minutes. Simply choose a Coral Sea Foundation project that matters to you – from coral reef monitoring to our Sea Women training programs – create your page, and share it with your network. Friends and family can contribute directly, and you’ll see exactly how your efforts translate into our marine conservation work.
What makes this approach powerful is the ripple effect. When you fundraise, you’re not just raising money – you’re raising awareness. Your supporters learn about marine conservation issues and often become advocates themselves. We’ve seen birthday parties turn into reef survey funding, workplace challenges support research expeditions, and school projects fund educational programs.
The platform handles all the technical aspects, provides regular updates on project progress, and recognizes your contributions to marine conservation. It’s designed for busy people who want to help but need simple, effective ways to get involved.
Ready to turn your passion for healthy oceans into action? Visit our fundraising platform and discover how easy it is to make a measurable impact on marine conservation.
Tax-Deductible Conservation: Your Impact on Marine Ecosystems
Through the Coral Sea Foundation’s Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR-1) status, your tax-deductible contributions directly fund marine research, community conservation programs, and Indigenous training programs across the Coral Sea region.
Your support creates measurable results: from research that guides policy decisions to the empowerment of Indigenous women as ocean champions. Together, we’re protecting critical ocean ecosystems and future generations.
Ready to make your mark on marine conservation? A tax-deductible donation ensures your support goes directly to protecting the outstanding reef habitats around the Coral Sea arc.
Citizen Scientists Wanted – ReefCloud Volunteer Program
The Coral Sea Foundation regularly uploads new survey imagery to our ReefCloud.ai project space, and we would love your help to analyze the imagery and train the AI. We’re actively recruiting volunteers to help analyze survey imagery from multiple Great Barrier Reef locations, with free coral identification training materials provided. You don’t need to be a marine biologist – it’s a great way to improve your coral ID skills and see firsthand the current status of many different reefs on the GBR.
This citizen science approach provides crucial reef condition information to island communities, traditional owners, and management agencies.
Using GPS and geotagging technology, we can easily relocate and re-photograph the same reef sites without damaging them. For Magnetic Island, we’ve mapped 13 sites using distinct natural features like massive coral rocks as reference points. All data is accessible through our dashboard at Reefcloud.Ai, making Magnetic Island one of the most monitored reefs on the Great Barrier Reef. As an incentive, we’ll give you a free Coral Sea Foundation t-shirt if you classify more than 100 points for us!
Ready to help? Visit our ReefCloud.ai project space or email [email protected]
Vessel Development Program – Seeking Partners
Traditional Pacific Island navigators understood what modern marine scientists confirm: reaching remote coral reefs requires purpose-built vessels. Our Area of Operations spans locations accessible only by sea, where regular trade winds and shallow reef systems favor multihull sailing vessels for safety, efficiency, and minimal environmental impact.
Coral Sea Foundation’s Vessel Development Program seeks partners for a two-phase approach. Phase one involves deploying a 15-meter sailing catamaran to demonstrate operational concepts. Phase two commissions and delivers a custom 42-meter expedition vessel designed specifically for maritime conditions around the Coral Sea arc, incorporating more than 30 years of regional maritime experience across our team.
This Large Expedition Vessel, designed by One2Three Naval Architects, would provide year-round, all-weather access to the most remote and critically important conservation sites in the Coral Sea arc and eastern Coral Triangle. Current operations rely on hired vessels, limiting research scope and increasing costs while reducing operational control.
The vessel would directly support our award-winning Sea Women training programs, expand technologically advanced Reef Monitoring for Indigenous traditional owners, deliver vital humanitarian aid, and enable marine science work at previously inaccessible locations. This infrastructure investment multiplies marine conservation impact across our region.
Corporate and philanthropic partners have an opportunity to support practical, science-based marine conservation through our Vessel Development Program, providing a lasting contribution to regional marine research capacity and conservation outcomes.
Contact us to explore partnership opportunities for the Vessel Development Program.
Aligning with the Coral Sea Foundation means more than just supporting a sustainable future for our oceans; it means being a crucial advocate for a transformative change in the way we approach marine conservation. Together we can achieve our goals and steer toward a brighter, more sustainable future for our tropical seas and the people that depend on them.
Thank you!
The Coral Sea Foundation team encourages you to explore the different sections of our website to learn more about our initiatives and actively engage in our conservation efforts. Please reach out to us with any questions or inquiries. We look forward to hearing from you!