In 1969, when pilot Don Adams set foot on Lady Elliot Island for the first time, he saw very little of the tropical paradise visitors know today. The coral cay at the southern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef had been stripped almost bare after over a decade of mining in the late 19th century. Miners removed much of the nutrient-rich soil and vegetation, and introduced goats, which prevented new plants from taking root, leaving a windswept landscape of exposed coral rubble. Adams, however, believed that the degraded island could be revived and secured a tourism lease from the Australian government to embark on an ambitious restoration project. He flew fresh water, planted thousands of trees and laid the foundations for what ultimately evolved into one of Australia’s longest-running ecological recovery stories. According to Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), the island’s recovery highlighted how long-term restoration can help revive degraded reef ecosystems.
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