Great Barrier Reef Resilience
DemonstrationMCC-2025-0014 • Australia • Queensland
TECHNICAL_REVIEW
Methodology
MCC-002
Country
Australia
Queensland
Estimated Area
35,200 ha
Est. Credits/Year
14,500
Start Date
2/1/2025
Crediting Period
30 years
Project Description
Targeted resilience interventions in the Cairns/Cooktown management area — crown-of-thorns starfish control, water-quality runoff reduction, and assisted gene-flow trials. Aligned with the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. MCC-MCU conservation units only; no carbon claim.
Project lifecycle
Project workflowTECHNICAL_REVIEW
Milestones (2/5 completed)
- Baseline ecological surveyCOMPLETED
Establish pre-project ecological baseline using transect surveys, water quality sampling, and remote-sensing imagery analysis.
Due: 30 May 2026Completed: 1 Jun 2026 - Stakeholder consultation completedCOMPLETED
Open consultation with coastal communities, fisher cooperatives, and local authorities — minutes archived in project record.
Due: 29 Jul 2026Completed: 4 Aug 2026 - Field implementation kickoffPENDING
On-site teams mobilised; planting, deployment, or protection-measures begin per methodology specification.
Due: 27 Sept 2026 - First annual monitoring reportPENDING
Year-one monitoring report compiled and submitted; covers biomass, GPS tracks, photo points, and community indicators.
Due: 25 Apr 2027 - Independent validation site visitPENDING
VVB lead auditor visits project site, samples evidence, reviews documentation, drafts validation opinion.
Due: 24 Jul 2027
Validation & verification
Validation
ISO 14064-2:2019DOCUMENT_REVIEW
Site visit: 27 Sept 2026 · Opinion issued: —
Verification
11,873.65 net creditsINITIATED
Quantified
13,969
Buffer
15%
Period: 16 Nov 2026 – 16 Nov 2027
AI assessment
PDD_COMPLETENESS_REVIEW · 30 May 2026Completeness
87%
Confidence
HIGH
91%
Recommendation
ADDRESS_FINDINGS_THEN_PROCEED
Section analysis
- Project description92
- Baseline & additionality81
- Quantification86
- Monitoring plan79
- Safeguards & FPIC88
Risk flags
- LOWMETHODOLOGY_DEVIATION_LOW
- LOWEVIDENCE_GAP_MINOR
Technical review
IN_PROGRESS
Review in progress. Two minor non-conformities under response.
Findings (3)
- OBSERVATIONOPENPDD §3.2 / Methodology baseline approachMinor clarification recommended on baseline-period selection rationale.
- NON_CONFORMITY_MINOROPENPDD §5.4 / Monitoring requirementsMonitoring plan should specify QA/QC sampling frequency for sediment carbon density.
- OBSERVATIONOPENPDD §7.1 / SD contributionCo-benefits narrative would benefit from quantified gender-disaggregated employment data.
Sustainable development contributions
7.5
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Climate (SDG 13) contribution from carbon sequestration and avoided emissions in the project boundary.
Indicators (2)
- 9Annual CO2-eq sequestration13.20 tCO2e → 8420 tCO2e
- 7Climate resilience index (community survey)13.12.4 / 5 → 3.6 / 5
8.2
Overall score
SD-Vista EligibleAssessed: 29 Jul 2026Life Below Water (SDG 14) contribution from habitat protection, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable use of marine resources.
Indicators (3)
- 8Coral / seagrass / mangrove cover (%)14.238% → 52%
- 9Area effectively protected (ha)14.50 → 1250
- 8Fish biomass index (kg / 100 m²)14.412.1 → 18.7
6.8
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) contribution from local employment, training, and supply-chain participation.
Indicators (3)
- 7Local jobs created (FTE)8.50 → 34
- 8Women in project workforce (%)5.50% → 41%
- 7Households with improved livelihood income1.40 → 210
Safeguards & ESIA
Screened: 29 Jun 2026Risk category
CATEGORY_CFPIC status
PENDINGClearance
PENDINGESIA required
YESESIA scoping completed; no Category-A risks identified. ESMP includes adaptive management triggers and grievance mechanism. FPIC documented with neighbouring communities.
Evidence library (8)
PHOTOGRAPHIC · 2FIELD_OBSERVATION · 2LAB_ANALYSIS · 1COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY · 1SATELLITE_IMAGERY · 1GPS_TRACK · 1
| Type | Description | Collected | GPS | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Drone orthomosaic of project area at 5 cm GSD; overlap 80%/70%; captured in optimal tide window. | 28 Aug 2026 | — | ✓ 16 Nov 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Megafauna sightings log: turtles, sharks, cetaceans recorded with timestamp, GPS, and observer. | 13 Aug 2026 | — | — |
| LAB_ANALYSIS | Sediment carbon density samples analysed via LECO CN628; bulk density and organic carbon fractions. | 29 Jul 2026 | — | ✓ 27 Sept 2026 |
| COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY | Signed minutes from FPIC consultation with neighbouring fisher cooperative; questions and concessions recorded. | 14 Jul 2026 | — | — |
| SATELLITE_IMAGERY | Sentinel-2 L2A imagery, 10 m resolution, NDVI and water-index composites for monitoring period. | 29 Jun 2026 | — | ✓ 8 Aug 2026 |
| GPS_TRACK | Surveyor GPS track of restored / protected polygon perimeter; CSV exported from Garmin GPSMAP. | 14 Jun 2026 | — | — |
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Geo-tagged photo points at 12 fixed monitoring stations; canopy cover and seedling survival visible. | 30 May 2026 | — | ✓ 19 Jun 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Quadrat sampling along three 100 m transects; species count and percent-cover recorded by trained ecologists. | 15 May 2026 | — | — |
Stakeholder consultation
OPENOpened
29 Jun 2026
Closes
29 Jul 2026
Total comments
6
Reversal events (0 detected)
No reversal events detected. The buffer pool remains intact.
Live biodiversity (GBIF)
cached 24h · live polygon queryTotal records
922,600
Species observed
163
Sample size
300
Top 12 species in polygon
| Species | Vernacular | Records | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallirallus philippensis | — | 10 | sample |
| Egretta sacra | — | 9 | sample |
| Scarus rivulatus | — | 8 | sample |
| Chaetodon vagabundus | — | 6 | sample |
| Caranx ignobilis | — | 5 | sample |
| Ctenochaetus striatus | — | 5 | sample |
| Caesio cuning | — | 5 | sample |
| Chaetodon citrinellus | — | 5 | sample |
| Chelonia mydas | — | 5 | sample |
| Thalassoma lunare | — | 5 | sample |
| Aulostomus chinensis | — | 4 | sample |
| Coris batuensis | — | 4 | sample |
Source: Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) occurrence search — live polygon query, max 300 records sampled.
Continuous habitat monitoring
Sentinel-2 · CDSE · 1 snapshotsLatest period
1 Apr – 1 May 2026
NDVI mean
-0.144
Habitat coverage
2.2%
Cloud cover
100%
Latest least-cloudy Sentinel-2 mosaic of the project area, retrieved live from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Continuous monitoring runs monthly.
Biodiversity context
GBIF · OBIS (UNESCO-IOC) · public datasetsGBIF (all biodiversity)
Records
922,611
Species
163
Last 5y
300
Top species in sample
- Gallirallus philippensis (Linnaeus, 1766)10
- Egretta sacra (Gmelin, 1789)9
- Scarus rivulatus Valenciennes, 18408
- Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus, 17586
- Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål, 1775)5
OBIS (marine-only)
Records
362,495
Species
112
Last 5y
217
Top marine species in sample
- Candidatus Pelagibacter70
- Syndiniales27
- Bacteria24
- Dinophyceae14
- Flavobacteriaceae13
Sample of up to 300 occurrences each. GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) covers all taxa; OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, UNESCO-IOC) is the marine subset indexed against WoRMS. Both refresh daily via 24h cache.
Coral habitat composition
Allen Coral Atlas · ASU / Planet / U. Queensland / VulcanReef area
188,700 ha
Bleaching alert
Alert level 2 (severe)Benthic composition
- Coral27%
- Algae21%
- Rubble11%
- Sand31%
- Seagrass4%
- Rock6%
Geomorphic zones
- Reef slope36%
- Lagoon25%
- Sheltered slope15%
- Reef crest14%
- Outer flat10%
Composition derived from the ACA global vector release at project onboarding time. Roadmap: server-side polygon intersection against the ACA REST API for monthly bleaching-alert updates.
Ocean color (chlorophyll, turbidity)
Sentinel-3 OLCI · CDSE · 2026-04Chlorophyll-a
0.76 mg/m³
NDCI
0.001
TSM proxy
0.149
Water quality
good · stable
Sentinel-3 OLCI 300 m daily revisit. Chlorophyll-a via OC4Me proxy; NDCI (Mishra & Mishra red-edge) is robust in turbid coastal water. Roadmap: live cron alongside Sentinel-2/Sentinel-1.
Vessel activity in project area
Spire Maritime · global AISUnique vessels (24h)
32
Boundary intrusions (7d)
5
Flag diversity
9
Top vessel types
- Cargo12
- Passenger11
- Patrol5
Sample MMSI traffic
648724791 · Tanker · MT
316744333 · Fishing · UK
519487517 · Cargo · AR
409104853 · Patrol · AR
Sample data shown. Live Spire Maritime AIS subscription required for production traffic monitoring; the backend endpoint is integrated and waiting on subscription activation.
High-resolution commercial snapshot
Planet Labs · SkySatCollectCapture date
2026-05-16
Resolution
0.5 m
Cloud cover
0.7%
Area covered
378 km²
Scene ID
20260516_414259_ssc8
Planet PlanetScope 3 m daily / SkySat 0.5 m on-demand. Used to validate Sentinel-derived signals at sub-Sentinel resolution. Backend integrated; live activation pending Orders API entitlement.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sample
NatureMetrics · MCC-EDNA-014-9725Collection date
2026-04-13
Species detected
30
IUCN red list (CR/EN/VU)
2
Top detections by read count
- Laminaria hyperborea · Northern kelp2,184 reads
- Rhizophora mangle · Red mangrove251 reads
- Epinephelus marginatus · Dusky grouperVU1,258 reads
- Pomatomus saltatrix · BluefishVU314 reads
- Posidonia oceanica · Mediterranean seagrass1,904 reads
Sample composition shown. Live NatureMetrics workflow ships sampling kits to field teams; lab returns metabarcoded species assignments against WoRMS / GBIF references. Replaces with real lab output on first sampling cohort.
Created: 4/30/2026
Last Updated: 4/30/2026