Your Great Barrier Reef Legacy Hosts
Great Barrier Reef Legacy is a non-profit organisation that crews and operates research vessels on the Great Barrier Reef to provide essential access for the best scientific minds and innovators, the most effective communicators and multimedia specialists, and build a platform for research, education and change. Great Barrier Reef Legacy will create the world’s first bio-bank of living corals, with ambitions to make it “one of the largest collaborative citizen science and research projects the world has ever seen”. For guests joining us onboard Coral Discoverer for our Citizen Science on the Great Barrier Reef voyage 2021, you have the exciting opportunity to be involved in scientific research for the bio-bank project, travelling alongside:
Dr Charlie Veron – ‘Godfather of coral’
Carlie Veron is a biologist, taxonomist, and specialist in the study of corals and reefs. He is believed to have discovered more than 20% of the world’s coral species naming more coral species than anyone in history, becoming widely known as the Godfather of coral.
He was the first scientist to be employed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, becoming Chief Scientist of that organisation in 1997. He has published a hundred pieces on all aspects of corals, from palaeontology, taxonomy and biogeography to physiology and molecular science, and has also published widely on other subjects, notably evolution and mass extinctions. He has also established a major website at coralsoftheworld.org. His discoveries include an original concept of what a species is, and the mechanism that drives their evolution – matters that lie at the heart of conservation.
Charlie’s work has underpinned most major reef conservation initiatives over the past two decades, inside the Coral Triangle and beyond. Charlie has been diving since the age of eighteen, logging six thousand hours underwater, and has participated in sixty-seven expeditions to most of the world’s key reef regions.
Dr Dean Miller – Director of Science and Media
Dr Dean is the Director of Science and Media and co-founder of the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, as well as a scientist, multi-media professional, BBC television presenter and an Australian Geographic sponsored explorer. With a PhD in coral reef management, tourism and resource allocation and a wealth of scientific experience in the field from Antarctica to the Arctic and everywhere in between, Dean’s scientific research career has been rich and diverse. Having been involved in over 300 ocean expeditions on ships all over the globe, much of Dean’s life has been at sea in some of the most challenging environments known.
A self-taught and accomplished filmmaker, he has shot, produced and presented more than 50 documentaries all over the planet for every major broadcaster including the BBC, ABC, National Geographic, Disney Nature, Foxtel, Red Bull TV and the Discovery Channel. Dean’s work has been narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough on many occasions and has been acclaimed for its breathtaking and stunning natural history and cinematic qualities. Dean also spends time in front of the camera, and is a presenter for the multi-award-winning “Coast Australia” BBC and Foxtel series with Neil Oliver, “Australian Geographic Explores” on Channel 9, and was a regular guest presenter with Channel 7’s Sunday Night Program.
It is with heavy hearts that Coral Expeditions joins the global Great Barrier Reef community in mourning the passing of John Rumney. John has been a true inspiration and a pioneer of conservation, science and marine interpretation for many thousands of visitors and professionals involved with the reef. Although John will no longer be onboard for this voyage, his legacy will be.