New research reveals how emotional responses like grief, hope and sadness are motivating divers to help restore the Great Barrier Reef, as it faces increasing climate-related threats.
Dr Ella Vallelonga, from the University of Adelaide's Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, examined how reef conservation diving dissolves "human exceptionalism" - the idea that humans are separate from, or superior to, other animals - and builds deep interspecies connections.
"As a rich socio-ecological system, the Great Barrier Reef is increasingly biodiverse and shapes human place attachments, coastal livelihoods and cultural knowledges. This drives people to protect it," Dr Vallelonga says.
"Emotions tied to ecological loss can spur meaningful action, and hands-on engagements with reefs can generate a sense of purpose, responsibility and connection - all of which help drive advocacy."
Dr Vallelonga's research focused on scuba diving-based reef restoration. She was surprised to find that the sensory components of marine submersion, from the feeling of water pressure to the tactile nature of coral care, prompted powerful emotions corresponding with empathy and protection.
"As restoration divers descend below water to care for corals in marine nurseries, their humanness is diluted," she says.
"Senses are disrupted and made vulnerable, as divers and coral connect via mucous-y, hands-on, cross-species encounters. These amplify diver-reef intimacies and cultivate a protective instinct."
Published in Journal of Anthropology, the study involved thirteen months of ethnographic research in Far North Queensland between 2022 and 2023. Dr Vallelonga used participant observation and semi-structured interviews with coastal stewards, reef advocates, rainforest restorationists, marine scientists and reef recovery divers.
"I was inspired by this area of research as I recognised that, in an uncertain climate and water context, people are experiencing complex emotions shaped by lived and anticipated ecological loss," she says.
"I wanted to explore how feelings like sadness or grief might prompt action, such as reef intervention and adaptation. These emotional drivers are important to understand in the face of climate crises and uncertainty."
One of the participants in the study, Sam*, is an experienced Dive Master and restorationist who has volunteered hundreds of hours across the Great Barrier Reef and Southeast Asian reef restoration initiatives. He says diving offers a powerful connection that deepens his responsibility to protect the reef.
"It's a world that isn't ours, we're only entering it to have a small glimpse of what the actual life down there actually experiences… there is a level of intimacy and care when it comes to both the reef and all the inhabitants down there," Sam says.
The Great Barrier Reef is facing extreme risk from recurring marine heatwaves driving coral bleaching, water pollution, coral predator outbreaks and other escalating impacts of climate change.
Dr Vallelonga explains that a range of "assisted recovery" strategies are being applied along the reef, led by marine scientists and conservation divers. These are part of a continually advancing suite of restoration tools intended to 'buy time' for reef recovery. Importantly, as restorationists assert, these novel efforts are not a "save" nor a substitute for coordinated climate action.
"At the time of my fieldwork, the goal of restoration was to accelerate recovery, supporting the reef's ability to 'bounce back' from damage, particularly that caused by marine heatwaves and other climate-induced degradation," Dr Vallelonga says.
This new research builds on Dr Vallelonga's ongoing work, which found that ecological grief - a response to environmental degradation - is a powerful motivator for marine care. She frames grief not only as a reaction, but as a generative force.
"Grief can incorporate a cautious but active hope," Dr Vallelonga says. "It reveals how emotional pain can move people toward protecting what is left."
Her findings point to the need for research into the roles of fear and anxiety of coastal conservationists around reef futures.
* Sam is a pseudonym used to protect the identity of the study participant in accordance with research and confidentiality requirements.
