The Lizard Island Research Station is a coral reef research facility that is owned and operated by the Australian Museum. It attracts coral reef researchers, including postgraduate students from all over the world, who are busy conducting about 100 different research projects each year. From the research work conducted at Lizard Island, more than 1,200 scientific publications have been produced by Australian and international researchers since the Station’s inception in 1973. This valuable information is used by reef managers to conserve coral reefs, which are proving to be an increasingly vulnerable resource. Funding for all capital expenditure is raised externally. The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation was established in 1978 for this purpose. It provides a contribution for capital expenditure each year and it also funds the Lizard Island Fellowships program.