A scientific research expedition funded by the tourism industry will undertake the first significant underwater study of remote northern sections of the Great Barrier Reef, which were severely damaged by recent coral bleaching.

Nonprofit organisation Great Barrier Reef Legacy will launch a 21-day research trip on a 32-metre charter boat, offering at least 10 free spaces to scientists, including Charlie Veron, known as “the godfather of coral”.

As part of the expedition, Veron and other researchers will search for “super corals” – species that are most able to cope with rising temperatures.



“If you identify species of corals that appear to be resistant to bleaching – then the question is why. If you can find that out … it’s a step towards a cure or a way forward,” Veron told the Guardian.



Veron, a former chief scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is credited with discovering 20% of the world’s coral species, said having access to a vessel was invaluable, especially for researchers like him who are not currently affiliated with a university or government agency.



The mission will also attempt to provide an ecosystem health assessment, examining how the reef coped with the back-to-back mass-bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.



Some tourism operators have turned a blind eye to the unprecedented damage that warming seas have inflicted on the Great Barrier Reef. The federal government has sought to downplay the impacts ostensibly to protect the tourism industry. In addition, a different tourism-funded reef conservation effort that has been closely associated with climate-change deniers has sought to minimise attention on bleaching.



But in a sign of change within the tourism industry, the new expedition was made possible by funding and in-kind donation by Northern Escape Collection, which contributed $160,000 and the use of a boat. The private tourism company owns the Orpheus Island Lodge near Townsville and the Daintree Eco Lodge.



“It was an easy decision for the Northern Escape Collection to support this initiative as we have been alarmed by the recent incidents of bleaching occurring over the last two summers and are very concerned about the health of the reef in general,” said Hayley Morris, the executive director of Northern Escape Collection.



“We believe the more information the public know, the more pressure will be put on politicians to take actions to protect it. Being part of the Queensland tourism industry we are also concerned about what these events are doing to such an integral part of Queensland’s identity.”



The expedition also received $30,000 in donations from the public, exceeding the group’s crowdfunding goal of $20,000.



Hope and positive action ... it’s what we need right now Great Barrier Reef Legacy director John Rumney

It will be the first closeup look scientists get of the remote northern sections of the Great Barrier Reef since this year’s recent wave of bleaching.



The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority estimates as much as half of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef was killed between 2016 and 2017, with the worst damage occurring in the remote northern sections – previously the most pristine.



The most recent published data from the Australian Institute of Marine Science is from before the second wave of bleaching in 2017, but includes the 2016 bleaching. It reveals that even before the latest wave, coral cover on the northern third of the reef had declined from 25% to less than 10%.

Great Barrier Reef Legacy said it was in touch with scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and major university research centres including the ARC Centre for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, which might use the expedition to conduct research.



“Because this area is so remote, large and hard to access, researchers have been unable to fully assess what is happening in what was considered the most pristine part of the whole Great Barrier Reef,’’ said Dean Miller, director for science and media at Great Barrier Reef Legacy.

Great Barrier Reef Legacy said it would report research results directly to the public, as well as through official scientific channels.

“That is why we are launching this expedition, to provide essential access and support for scientists so we can understand how the reef has fared and report direct to the public,” said Miller.



“This is a good news story for the reef – unlocking the secrets of the survivors not only offers hope for safeguarding coral reefs into the future but also for dealing with a warming climate brought about by our fossil fuel dependence. The far northern region represents what the future of the entire Great Barrier Reef might look like if bleaching events continue to push further south and that information is critical to researchers, managers and the public alike.”



Great Barrier Reef Legacy hopes to become the first privately funded Great Barrier Reef scientific research and public outreach organisation. It has been offered free access to another, $2m boat, for a year, which it is now seeking $1.5m in funds to operate.

In the longer term it is seeking $5m for its own boat, with the idea of offering ongoing free research spaces to scientists and conducting public outreach and educational programs.



“It’s all about access to, and being on, the reef,” said the Great Barrier Reef Legacy director, John Rumney. “Providing a platform to communicate to the world the value of all reefs from our very own Great Barrier Reef. It’s what we need right now – hope and positive action; not only here given recent bleaching events but for coral reefs worldwide.”