Coral reef conservation requires innovative interventions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and other stressors. The Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) has developed a robust risk assessment framework to evaluate potential risks associated with reef interventions. This study presents the findings from trialling the intervention risk assessment process on the proposed RRAP Pilot Deployments Program, conducted with independent oversight by the Intervention Risk Review Group (IRRG).
The risk assessment focused on key Great Barrier Reef Marine Park values, and mapped and evaluated risk pathways. A Risk Review process was run in parallel, using a co-designed approach.
Findings indicate that the Pilot Deployments pose low environmental risk across all assessed categories, with expert input and independent review supporting these conclusions. Social and heritage dimensions are also being assessed. The assessment framework integrates scientific evidence, expert elicitation, and quality assurance processes to inform responsible intervention strategies. Moving forward, this approach can be applied to more complex interventions, ensuring that reef restoration efforts are guided by rigorous, evidence-based risk evaluation.