Reef and Rainforest Research Centre

Name

Reef and Rainforest Research Centre

Legal name

Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited

Website

https://rrrc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research and Conservation Program Management

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Environmental research services
• Coral reef conservation
• Water quality monitoring
• Marine science programs
• Indigenous environmental management

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairns

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Program Administration: RRRC administers Australian Government funded environmental programs, including NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub and Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program, managing complex multi-contract portfolios across northern Australia and the Pacific.
2. Research Grants and Program Funding: Secures and manages research funding from Australian Government ($149 million NESP Marine and Coastal Hub, $58 million COTS investment under Reef Trust Partnership) and other funding bodies to deliver environmental science programs.
3. Partnership and Consortium Management: Coordinates research consortiums involving multiple partner institutions (six research institutions, 220+ researchers) to deliver integrated environmental outcomes across the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics regions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RRRC manages complex multi-contract environmental programs and translates scientific research into practical conservation outcomes across the Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics, Torres Strait, PNG and the Pacific. Its portfolio includes Crown-of-thorns Starfish (COTS) control using a proprietary Integrated Pest Management framework, the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub administering $149 million of research funding, citizen-science water quality monitoring, Indigenous ranger training, and marine tourism partnerships. The organization brokers knowledge between research institutions, government, industry and Traditional Owners.

Product overview

The Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC) is an Australian not-for-profit organization that offers a portfolio of environmental research and management services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Project Management Services for complex multi-contract programs across northern Australia and the Pacific, Community Engagement Services for sustainable natural resource management, and Science & Knowledge Brokering that translates scientific research into practical outcomes. Key programs include the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (COTS) Control Program employing integrated pest management to protect coral on the Great Barrier Reef, the NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub managing water quality research with 220+ researchers, the Reef Havens Research Project monitoring coral resilience at Moore Reef, the PNG Treaty Villages Program for community development, and the Deadly Women's Development and Leadership Program for First Nations women. Additional offerings include the Women's Leadership Program, Reef 2050 Traditional Owners Aspirations project, and the eAtlas data platform. These services work together to deliver science-based solutions for conservation, government policy, and community well-being in tropical environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Management Services Management of complex programs and projects involving numerous concurrent contracts across northern Australia, the Torres Strait, PNG and the Pacific.
• Community Engagement Services Sustainable natural resource management and community well-being services throughout the tropics, including agricultural, Indigenous and tourism community programs.
• Science & Knowledge Brokering Knowledge brokering services that bring together leading scientific research and present information in an understandable practical manner for conservation and policy outcomes.
• Crown-of-thorns Starfish (COTS) Control Program Integrated pest management program to control outbreaks of Crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef, involving on-water operations, reef surveys, diver deployment, boat fleet management and coral protection activities.
• NESP Marine and Coastal Hub National Environmental Science Program hub managing research projects focused on Australia's marine and coastal environments, hosted by RRRC jointly with the University of Tasmania under NESP Phase 2.
• NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub NESP hub managing 82 research projects to improve Great Barrier Reef water quality, involving 220 researchers from six partner research institutions.
• Reef Havens Research Project Research project at Moore Reef focusing on coral recovery, water temperature monitoring and reef resilience, collecting approximately 400 million measurements of water temperature and flow.
• PNG Treaty Villages Program (Building Resilience in Treaty Villages) Building Resilience in the Treaty Villages (BRTV) Program — community development and conservation initiative strengthening capacity of villages covered by the Torres Strait Treaty in Papua New Guinea.
• Deadly Women's Development and Leadership Program Program delivering training to First Nations women, awarding recognised qualifications in Workplace Skills and Tourism, and targeting sustainable employment pathways in remote communities.
• eAtlas Interactive mapping and data platform providing access to Great Barrier Reef and catchment data for research and monitoring purposes.
• Reef 2050 Traditional Owners Aspirations Project Traditional Owner-led project delivering better understanding of aspirations for protection and management of the Great Barrier Reef.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.1+ million Crown-of-thorns starfish culled, protecting 726,000+ hectares of reef
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INLOC GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 21 April 2022On-water COTS control operators and training partner for Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owners COTS Control and Leadership Program, delivering hands-on marine operations training at INLOC Training Centre in Cairns.
• University of TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2020Joint hosting of NESP Marine and Coastal Hub with Associate Professor Alan Jordan from UTAS, delivering research for Australia's marine and coastal environments.
• Reef Trust Partnership / Great Barrier Reef FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2020Partnership for Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control with $58 million COTS investment ($28.6 million in initial contracts) deploying five fully crewed boats over two years to address COTS outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef.
• National Environmental Science Program (NESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRRRC serves as the administrative host for NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub and Marine and Coastal Hub, managing $149 million in Australian Government research funding across 82 projects involving 220+ researchers from six partner institutions.
• James Cook University (TropWATER)coreTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership with Prof Damien Burrows (NESP TWQ Hub co-lead) and Dr Norm Duke for water quality, coral reef, and mangrove studies. Luke Morris PhD research on nutrient-coral bleaching relationships.
• CSIROcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical research partner for COTS control program (Dr David Westcott, Dr Cameron Fletcher) and ocean glider data analysis supporting subsurface ocean structure understanding.
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for COTS control program coordination, marine monitoring, and reef management. Dr Roger Beeden contributed to IPM-COTS control research.
• Canegrowers Cairns RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural partnership for Project 25 citizen science water quality monitoring, working with sugar cane farmers in Russell-Mulgrave catchment to achieve sustainable farming practice adoption.
• AMPTO (Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOn-water COTS control operators collaborating with RRRC research team for coral reef protection using IPM principles.
• Frankland Islands Reef CruisesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine tourism partnership for transporting NESP Steering Committee to observe reef recovery at Frankland Islands, demonstrating coral resilience and water quality improvement outcomes.
• Citizens of the Great Barrier ReefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based citizen scientists group involved in Great Reef Census and underwater visual census methods as part of Moore Reef restoration projects.
• Reef Restoration FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoral nursery project partner scouting locations for future coral nursery projects at Moore Reef as part of reef restoration and resilience efforts.
• Gidarjil Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous ranger partner for mangrove management training using Shoreline Video Assessment Method, building Traditional Owner capacity in sea country monitoring and management.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RRRCcairns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reef and Rainforest Research Centre