Human Ignorance : The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the natural world. It was declared a World Heritage area in 1981 and added to the National Heritage List in 2007. Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef faces many threats. Pollution caused by direct or indirect human activities are major threats to Australian reefs. (source 1).

Irreversible destruction is occurring to our coral reef system. The majority of this destruction is caused by the human race. It is important that the people of the world come together to determine how to keep our precious resources in tact for future generations.

Industrialisation is seen as a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef because it would have an impact on water quality and causes the destruction of habitats. this seems ideal, however, he planned to proceed with the construction of the biggest coal port which would result in the dredging of 3 million cubic metres of seabed. (White, 2013) This showed that theoretically the sustainability plan would cover the major threats but in practice it is not as effective due to projects initiated by the government as they often have underlying motives.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is one of Australia’s first and most significant world heritage sites. It is also one of the most ecologically diverse and the largest reef systems worldwide (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2013). Anthropogenic pressure on the GBR dates back to 150 years ago. Land clearing, agriculture, overfishing, poaching of endangered species such as humpback whales and human-induced climate change have posed a serious threat to GBR’s biodiversity in the past and present (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2013). Over the past 30 years, issues relating to water quality and irresponsible poaching and fishing practices have been addressed effectively. The Marine Park Zoning Plan of 2003 and Great Barrier reef water quality protection plan have become the primary management tools for GBR, along with a $375 million grant by the Queensland government to support various policy instruments such as a daily cap on some fish catches, protection zones for endangered species such as dugongs and improved reef monitoring and collaboration wih the local community (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Environmental sustainability refers to the ability to maintain the qualities that are valued in the physical environment (Sutton, 2004). Threats to these features of the environment mean that there is a risk that these will not be maintained (Sutton, 2004). For example, damage that is done to the natural environment can generate threats of serious decline in quality or destruction (Sutton, 2004). The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of the seven wonders of the world, however, it is slowly facing decline. Threats to the Great Barrier Reef include climate change, coral bleaching, a major outburst of the Crown-of-thorns starfish and tourism. The Australian Government’s response to the recommendations of the United Nations Educational, Scientific

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something” (Teresa). The ocean as we know it is a huge expanse of water covering more than seventy percent of our planet. It hides many mysteries, and phenomenon that man would not have been able to imagine if we had not explored the water depths and expanses of the oceans for our own eyes to see. There are many amazing and incredible occurrences of many varieties all over our oceans but one amazing and astounding natural occurrence is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

C: Even though an abundance of research is being conducted by scientists in order to help save the coral reef, their efforts seem to be getting nowhere due to the ignorance of people who do not know how bad the problem truly is. E: Scientists are currently using Google Maps technology to take pictures of the reefs to showcase the severity of the problem (Chasing Coral). A: This makes pictures of the reef’s condition accessible to anyone anywhere on earth, therefore making education about the reef more accessible. E: NOAA is transforming the ways reefs are researched by using satellites to detect where bleaching is occurring and at what level (Chasing Coral). A: By doing this, NOAA is providing useful information to scientists

The Australian Government acknowledge that ocean acidification is one of the highest risk factors to the Great Barrier Reef and have documented their plans to reduce this threat to the reef in the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). The Australian Government and the Queensland Government are working in partnership to fund projects and apply laws that will sustain this World heritage area. These projects include the Green Climate Fund which targets emissions reduction and the $2.55 billion pledge towards the Emissions Reduction Fund which creates positive incentives to cut emissions (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). However, only time and the continual monitoring of the reef by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park will provide evidence of whether this funding will reduce ocean acidification to sustain the future of the

The Great Barrier Reef is on the brink of dying, and humans are to blame. Corals are the center of marine ecosystems as they provide food and shelter for animals as well as a source of income for Australia, in terms of tourism and fishing. However, as said by NASA research scientist Liane Guild, “Coral reefs are considered ‘canaries of the oceans,’ acting as an early warning system for marine ecosystems” . If the corals die off then everything in the ocean will follow. Of course weather is unpredictable and is a big part of why coral bleaching has occurred, but humans have also had a negative impact on them. There are currently Catholic movements aimed at saving the reef, and Pope Francis mentions the gravity of this situation in his recent encyclical. That being said, if we as a human race were told about coral bleaching by governments and were educated about it in school then global warming and weather wouldn’t have affected it as much as it has.

As the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)in Australia is the natural heritage, whose ecosystem is subject to

I am writing to you in regards to the situation occurring in and around the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism has been an ongoing point of discussion in the Great Barrier Reef area. Acknowledging that tourism can be a healthy and positive thing it can also have a negative impact. Such negative impacts include construction, boats and fishing, water activities, and interaction with wildlife. All these factors are major contributors to the welfare as well as the possible diminish of the Reef at the same time, and so need to be dealt with carefully.

The Great Barrier Reef is unique in that no other World Heritage Site plays host to such a large biodiversity. UNESCO notes that the reef is “of enormous scientific and intrinsic importance, and it also contains a significant number of threatened species.” Despite its designation, however, the site is threated by a variety of pressures, both natural and man-made. Starfish outbreaks, cyclones, and other extreme weather events are all counted, as well as human tourism and coastal developments. Thankfully, due to the sites extensive size and varying ecosystems, the reef and its inhabitants retain a great capacity to recover from, and withstand, ongoing

The great barrier reef. An Australian icon. It makes an income of around 5-6 billion dollars per year. It is so big it covers over 2600 km and 900 islands. That is nearly the same area as Italy.

Mangrove and saltmarsh ecosystems are vital to the biological productivity and food webs of coastal waters and provide critical nursery areas for many fish and crustaceans, including commercially and recreationally important species. Land inundation may not have a direct impact on Australians but it will definitely put a strain on the Australian economy since the GBR is a huge tourist attraction and is worth $6.9 billion annually. Although the life of the Great Barrier Reef has major impact on Australians, we are still contributing to climate change by polluting water with oils spills and toxins, dumping waste like plastic bags and bottles on the ground which end up flying to the seas, agriculture because of pesticides and chemicals being brought into the country, outdated fishing methods and resources and coastal

This is a huge issue for the Great Barrier Reef as it is a fragile ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most