There are estimated to be about four to 12 million crown of thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: ARC Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies 
 
 An outbreak of coral-eating starfish on the Great Barrier Reef could become the worst on record, conservationists fear. 
 
 A report commissioned by WWF-Australia says the number of crown of thorns starfish could soar from between four and 12 million to 60 million by 2020. 
 
 "It would be like a locust plague devastating vegetation," Glen Holmes, co-author of The Starfish That Eat The Reef, said. 
 
 The devastating starfish are already believed to be responsible for the loss of around 60,000 hectares of live coral over the past 30 years. 
 
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 While there is nothing that can be done to halt the current outbreak, experts are appealing for tougher measures to prevent future plagues. 
 
 Harmful chemical fertilisers flowing off agricultural farming land and into the reef waters are fuelling the outbreaks by triggering algal blooms which feed the starfish. 
 
 "If we cut catchment pollution we can starve the baby crown of thorns starfish and prevent the next outbreak before it happens," Dr Holmes said. 
 
 "This will give the reef a chance to rebuild its coral cover and grow again." 
 
 Current state and national government investment has failed to achieve even modest targets and more money is needed to reduce pollution, he added. 
 
 If the outbreak follows the patterns of previous plagues then coral cover could be reduced to below 10 per cent, the report said. 
 
 AAP 
 
 Stay informed. Like the Brisbane Times Facebook page ||||| The Great Barrier Reef will be listed as a threatened ecosystem by the United Nations from June next year unless the government follows a series of recommendations to protect it, the World Heritage Committee has decided. 
 
 The committee, meeting in Cambodia, largely stood by a draft report it released in May, which noted "concern" at the "limited progress" in halting coastal development and other threats to the reef. 
 
 A separate committee concern over the "lack of clarity" around water quality was amended, after the federal government pledged $200m in the May budget for the continuation of its "reef rescue" program, which aims to reduce the amount of agricultural chemicals flowing into the reef. 
 
 The government has also produced, as the committee requested, an updated "scorecard" on the reef. 
 
 However, the rest of the committee's draft report findings were passed at the Cambodia meeting, effectively putting the government on notice that the Great Barrier Reef will join Unesco's "in danger" list at its next annual meeting if improvements are not made. 
 
 The committee is concerned that the Queensland and federal governments have made "no clear commitment toward limiting port development to existing port areas". The report also urges Australia to ensure that the expansion of existing ports does not damage the "outstanding universal value" of the reef. 
 
 More than 150 Australian and international scientists signed a letter on the eve of the World Heritage meeting calling for urgent action to safeguard the reef. 
 
 Critics claim proposed expansion of coal and gas export terminals, such as at Townsville, and new major new export developments, such as Abbot Point, will hurt coral, turtles, dugongs and other wildlife through increased shipping and waste from dredging. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Queensland government, which has previously referred to itself as being "in the coal business", has also attacked the federal government for being too closely aligned to green groups and risking jobs and investment to the state. 
 
 Tony Burke, the federal environment minister, said he was pleased that the committee had recognised progress that Australia had made on managing the reef. 
 
 "The Great Barrier Reef is an iconic environmental asset and the Australian government is absolutely committed to the protection of the reef and our oceans. It's one of the most precious places on Earth," he said. 
 
 "I am pleased that the final report takes into account more recent commitments by the government to safeguard the reef including a further $200m for the next stage of Reef Rescue. 
 
 "The Australian government is also pleased that the decision recognises the progress Australia has made on the comprehensive strategic assessment, including important new research which will help ensure that the reef is protected in accordance with the best available science. 
 
 "There are a number of threats facing the reef, including climate change, coastal developments, agricultural runoff, ocean acidification and outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. We are working to address each of these, on land and in the ocean." 
 
 A spokesperson for Greg Hunt, the shadow environment minister, said that an incoming Coalition government would focus on reducing the pollution that damages the reef. 
 
 "We welcome the acknowledgement of the improvements in water management on the reef," the spokesperson said. "It is an important responsibility of the Australian government and in that context it was disappointing that Minister Burke had delayed the re-commitment to the Reef Rescue funding." 
 
 "If elected, the Coalition will implement a Reef 2050 plan with a focus on water quality and increased action to address run-off and the subsequent threat posed by the Crown of Thorns." 
 
 Greens senator Larissa Waters, whose bill to halt new developments beside the reef was rejected by the government, said that urgent action was now needed to avoid the 'in danger' listing. 
 
 "The old parties are letting the big mining companies treat the Great Barrier Reef as a dumping ground for dredge spoil and a shipping super highway and the world is watching and sending a clear warning that this is simply unacceptable," she said. 
 
 "The Queensland and federal governments now have a year to act on the World Heritage Committee's recommendations to save the Great Barrier Reef from being added to the list of sites in danger."
– The number of coral-plundering crown of thorns starfish could boom from some 12 million to 60 million over the next four years, the Brisbane Times reports, and for Australia's Great Barrier Reef that would be akin to "a locust plague devastating vegetation," says Glen Holmes, co-author of The Starfish That Eat The Reef. This winter, though, an aquatic robot will be deployed to help slow the invasion of the invertebrates … by killing them, Scientific American reports. The COTSbot, developed at the Queensland University of Technology, is a small submarine outfitted with cameras, sonar, GPS, and a syringe-tipped arm. Following a pre-programmed path along the reef, the robot scans for crown of thorns starfish. Once it identifies its target, the COTSbot pumps it full of bile salts that, as Scientific American puts it, "digest the animal from the inside" before it can separate and regenerate (one starfish can produce millions of young). The COTSbot, which can kill more than 200 starfish in eight hours, will augment the efforts of human divers. “It's now so good it even ignores our 3D-printed decoys and targets only live starfish,” one researcher says. It is believed the starfish has destroyed some 230 square miles of live coral in the past three decades, per the Times, which says the outbreak may be linked to starfish-nourishing algal blooms resulting from fertilizer runoff. Overfishing of the starfish's predators may also be to blame, per Scientific American. Check out the COTSbot in action in this video.