In early 2016, record ocean temperatures led to intense and widespread coral bleaching in the northern third of the Great Barrier Reef. In early 2017, it happened again, this time in the central third of the Great Barrier Reef. The unprecedented back-to-back mass coral bleaching events was then compounded in March 2017 by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Debbie.
In May 2017, the Reef Authority convened a Reef Summit where it was concluded that the frequency and severity of disturbances required a different approach to management. A key outcome was to permit intervention in the natural process of recovery, including reef restoration.
Reef Restoration Foundation incorporated on 11 July 2017 then secured the first permit on 13 October 2017 and installed the first ocean-based multi-species coral nursery on the Great Barrier Reef at Fitzroy Island on 7 December 2017.