LIZARD ISLAND RESEARCH STATION

Location

Lizard Island is in the remote northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, an hour’s flight (260 km) north of Cairns. It is midway between the mainland coast and the outer barrier reefs that line the edge of the continental shelf.

It is an excellent location for reef research because diverse reef types are easily accessible, around the island itself and across the width of the continental shelf. Apart from LIRS, the only human habitation on the island is the Lizard Island Resort, a small campground, and on visiting yachts at anchor.

User groups

Research is the focus of activities at LIRS. Projects are led by researchers at all academic levels, from postgraduate students to professors. Researchers make up about 70% of usage over the year.

Education is the next important component of LIRS usage. Schools and universities can organise educational trips to LIRS for their own students. A LIRRF initative are funded educational trips for both Year 11 Biology students and teachers – the Coral Reef Study Tours.​ Student groups comprise about 20% of annual usage.

Facilities

Lizard Island Research Station aims to be a world-leading supplier of on-reef facilities for research and education. The Foundation helps to support and maintain all facilities, which include:

• Shared accommodation for up to 37 people in four simple, yet comfortable, self-contained houses in which visitors cook and clean up after themselves.
• A fleet of boats to enable access to the reefs of the Lizard Island Group and to more distant reefs, from the mainland coast to the outer barrier reefs.
• Diving equipment, including scuba tanks and air filling facilities.
• A flexible seawater aquarium system enabling controlled experiments with living reef organisms.
• Laboratories with basic equipment that enable research samples to be processed to a stage suitable for transporting them to mainland or overseas laboratories for further analysis.
• Shuetrim Library is named in honour of Charlie & Sandy Shuetrim who mobilised significant financial support for the 30th Anniversary Development and who continue to provide invaluable support to LIRS and LIRRF. Shuetrim Library holds a wide array of books that are relevant to researchers’ field work and many of the postgraduate theses that are based on LIRS research. It also provides a quiet workspace and a venue for team meetings.

Staff

LIRS has just five staff, all of whom live on the island full-time: two directors, two maintenance staff and one station officer.

Dr Emily Howells and Dr David Abrego are the joint Directors. They have been in this role since January 2025 following the retirement of previous Directors Dr Anne Hoggett AM and Dr Lyle Vail AM. David and Emily are joint appointments with the Australian Museum and Southern Cross University. Together, they have a combined 27 years of experience as coral reef researchers and educators.

Emily has more than 15 years of research specializing in understanding the ecological and evolutionary responses to reef-building corals to climate change. Her research combines approaches in field ecology, experimental biology, coral husbandry, symbiosis manipulation, quantitative genetics, and population genomics.

Lizard Island Field Guide

Lizard Island Field Guide (LIFG) is a richly illustrated online tool that helps researchers, students and visitors identify the bewildering array of living things in the area, in both marine and terrestrial habitats. It was developed by LIRS in association with Gaia Guide Association and with funding from our Foundation. It is updated and expanded continuously.

Click the icon to explore the website version. Free mobile applications for both major platforms are being developed. 

Sustainability

Lizard Island Research Station minimises its environmental impact and provides stewardship for its extraordinary natural environment.

• 95% of electricity is produced from solar energy.
• Buildings are designed for passive cooling.
• Air conditioned work areas use the best available technology.
• Waste is minimised and mostly recycled.
• Composting toilets use no water.
• Four-stroke outboard motors reduce emissions.
• Marine research activities are carefully managed in conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
• Weeds on land are controlled with dedication.