Great Barrier Reef (Environmental Lens) The Great Barrier Reef is a vast organic structure that has existed longer than man. It has always been present underneath the water surface near the coast of Australia, harboring many different types of sea creatures. Over the past few decades, the reef has slowly been dying. Humans have been negatively affecting it for a while now, although they may not have known it at that time. We, as humans, have the duty to correct our mistake and take responsibility for our actions by doing everything in our power to nourish and tend to the reef. Governments all across the globe have come together to collaborate and discuss what they can do to save the reef from extinction. Many solutions have been talked about and some have been put into place, but the effects of these won’t be seen until a number of years later. We must wait and hope that our ignorance up until this point won’t destroy an iconic landmark before we can try and save it. There are many things that the Great Barrier Reef contributes to society environmentally that we overlook and take for granted every day. One example is tourism. As stated in Skwirk, “It is estimated that each year about two million visitors travel through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Most of the tourism, about 85 percent, is focused around Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands.” There are many people that go to the reef every year to explore and witness the wonders of it. This develops into many positive
Australia is in debt to The Great Barrier Reef as it has brought economic and environmental stability not just to Australia, but the World, from a business and ethical standpoint everyone must put an end in this growing issue.
The Great Barrier Reef is under threat due to many human impacts and natural impacts. These impacts lead to other consequences that may harm our society as well. For example, if the Great Barrier Reef was to be damaged by pollution, tourism levels would decrease, which can lead to a drop in the economic stance of Australia. For these reasons, it is important to keep our ecosystems safe and protected. Some of the human impacts towards the Great Barrier Reef include:
The GBRMPA as an organisation strives to protect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by ensuring all human interactions with the reef are ecologically sustainable and maintain it’s natural
In summary, in order to save the future of the Barrier Reef “we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and we need to make policies to protect the Barrier Reef. We also need shift away from power sources like different coal products.” The products that most people are using to this day pollute the air and slowly and slowly and damage the different types of reefs around the world; and we need to switch to renewable energy, because it is not as harsh to the environment as other products. If we do this we can save the Future of the Barrier Reef, Fringing reef, and the Atoll reef and all of the other reefs around the world.
Tourism in Australia has evolved over the years and continues to increase to this day, however it is the effects that tourists have the ability to place on the Southern Great Barrier Reef which are potentially threatening for, not only the reef of lady Elliot Island, however, the corals surrounding it. “International visitations within Australia alone reached 3.9 million visitors within the first 7 months of 2014, which was an increase of approximately 9.5%, a number which continues to rise” (Tourism Australia, 2015). However, with this increasing number, comes possible damaging effects to the surrounding reefs of Lady Elliot Island, possibly leading to the excessive damage of corals due to activities and infrastructure requirements
What do you think about when you hear the words Great Barrier Reef? Most people would imagine turquoise water, colourful and littered with endless fish, rays, sharks and turtles. Most people would imagine an everlasting wonder that has existed for tens of thousands of years, preserved by its sheer size and beauty. An icon indeed that is seen from Space. Being as reputable as it is, the Great Barrier Reef is surely not in any sort of danger right? Many believe that the reef is under no such danger however the scientific community old grave fears that Australia’s wonder of the world is in fact under threat, and is potentially facing its untimely ruin in our lifetimes.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beloved regions of the world but due to recent human activity in surrounding areas and subsequent sediment delivery, coral and seagrass habits within are being negatively impacted. Extending 2000km along the North-eastern Australian coast (Brodie et al., 2007), the Great Barrier Reef is a major source of income for Northern Australia and fuels the growth of local businesses. As industrialization in areas adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon have increased since European settlement (McCulloch et al., 2003), the need for more resources to compensate for human population has led to harmful land practices such as overstocking and deforestation for cattle grazing inland. These are causing a significant
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef In the world being at 345, 000 square kilometres in size. This huge amount of reef is home to 1,500 species of fish, 30 species of whales and dolphins, and 133 species of sharks and rays (Act.greenpeace.org, 2018). Imagine you were one of these fish and your home was just dying off leaving you without food and having to move to different areas. We are the ones causing The Great Barrier Reef to die! Not only does the reef provide homes and food for all of these animals but it also provides the ocean and earth with large amounts of oxygen.
One environmental issues posted on the facebook group on Ecologically Conscious Social is climate change’s effect impacts on Great Barrier Reef where is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Great Barrier Reef is located in Queensland, Australia.
Because the GBR is such a highly visited tourist attraction for snorkeling and diving, there has been a large number of human structures that have been built in natural areas. Every five years, the Australian government publishes an Outlook Report that examines the Great Barrier Reef’s health, pressures, and likely future. “The report is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.” The report shows the actions that have been taken since 2009, including the focus on improving the quality of water that runs off the land. The increased freshwater run-off is in direct relation to the coastal development that has occurred since the major bleaching events have begun. The report released in 2009, states that the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based runoff, coastal development, and some remaining impacts of fishing and illegal fishing and poaching. The report points out climate change as being the main cause of the destruction or bleaching of the reef (Department of Environment and Energy 2017). Most observers conclude that the climate change is a direct result of human
Consequently, there are two important factors that contribute to the ignorance of the Great Barrier Reef ‘s impacts. First, Mr. Hunt’s
The reef has gone through many natural disasters, and has been forced to expand and erode but has always been able to overcome them (Holland, 2011). In the wake of industrialization, which is tied to westernization, the ocean has become much more acidic and the phytoplankton population, which supports the ocean ecosystem, has severely decreased, causing the corals of the reef to become bleached and begin to die; oil spills and ship groundings have caused the reef to become scarred in parts as well (Holland, 2011). The reef is crucial to the economy of Australia and is beloved by the locals and due to the environmental impacts of westernization it is left in a vulnerable state, leaving the Australian aborigine culture vulnerable as well, as the two are directly linked (Holland, 2011).
The mass tourism the Great Barrier Reef sees also brings in five to six billion Australian dollars per year. Luckily the Great Barrier Reef remains one of the world’s healthiest and best-protected marine areas. With such a wide array of uses for the Great Barrier Reef, from recreational to commercial, the Queensland government manages the marine park with the Zoning Plan. This plan places regulations on where each activity can occur and how much. The changing zones ensure that certain aspects of the ecosystem are not overly disturbed so that they can remain healthy. The Reef Trust and Reef Water Quality Protection Plan provide a framework for farmers and land managers to better prevent too much freshwater or pollutant runoff. All these protective measures are documented in the yearly GBR Outlook Report that helps authorities better manage the Reef in each specific
The Great Barrier Reef is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to be one of the most incredible places on this earth. This reef is the largest living organism on this planet and the only living thing on earth visible from space (2011). The warm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean are the perfect environments to create the world's largest system of coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is in such pristine condition that it was listed by the World Heritage Trust as a protected site and is therefore, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that its beauty is maintained for many travelers and sightseers (Edgar 2010). Due to the complexity of this natural phenomenon, human practices have led
Since commercial fishing in Australia’s coral reefs began in the early 1970s, overfishing, climate change, dynamite fishing, and pollution have contributed to a large-scale decline in the health of the reefs and the marine life that reside within them. The Great Barrier Reef stands as one of the most varied ecosystems in the world, serving as a natural environment for thousands of species of marine life. The reefs provide millions of dollars in revenue for Australia by attracting many tourists, providing fish, and by advancing medical research. The coral reefs are beneficial to Australia because they serve as a barrier to protect the land from large waves and tsunamis.