Crown-of-Thorns Starfish: Information Hub

How to act against crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks?

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks are one of the main threats to Indo-Pacific coral reefs. In 2021, together with our team in Sulawesi, Indonesia, we organized a workshop on COTS outbreaks mitigation and provided training to local diving clubs and institutions managing natural resources.

We gather here all the materials prepared for this training in order to share reliable knowledge and practical means of action against crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

These training materials have been developed together with Pascal Dumas, COTS expert at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (‘Research Institute for Development’, IRD) in New Caledonia, and within the framework of an agreement between our partner organizations in Sulawesi – Naturevolution Indonesia and Toli Toli Labengki Giant Clam Conservation – and the local representation of IRD in Jakarta.

This information hub on Crown-of-thorns starfish is available in English and Indonesian. All the materials are important to fully understand the complex dynamics of COTS outbreaks and efficiently protect coral reefs.

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction video on COTS (below)
  2. Information on COTS and COTS outbreaks
  3. COTS field operations
  4. COTS equipment: DIY and suppliers

Video: Crown of Thorns, a starfish war

Video made by IRD New Caledonia within the context of the OREANET project.
Crown of Thorns, a starfish war – Directed by Jean-Michel Boré – English Version, 19’05 – © IRD Nouméa/Bondy 2017