The Great Barrier Reef Australia

2nd January 2025 | Human Nature, Life on Earth, Places

What is the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is a marine area of remarkable beauty and variety on the long north-eastern coast of Australia. It encompasses the world’s largest collection of coral reefs: around 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, and 4,000 types of mollusks. It also the habitat of species such as the dugong and the large green turtle, both of which are threatened with extinction.

The Great Barrier Reef is a globally outstanding and significant entity. Practically the entire ecosystem was inscribed as World Heritage in 1981, covering an area of about 348,000 square kilometers. Within the area there are some 2,500 individual reefs of varying sizes and shapes, and over 900 islands, ranging from sandy and larger vegetated cays to large rugged continental islands – one of which rises over 1,100 meters above sea level. The area provides some of the most spectacular maritime scenery in the world.

What threatens the Great Barrier Reef?

Part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef include runoff from human made pollutants, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, dumping of dredging sludge, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. The reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985.

What can be done to help?

Some of the techniques being used to help the reef are:

Restoring reefs with Coral IVF:

Corals spawn once a year and many of the resulting embryos die before they settle onto reefs. During annual spawning events, researchers capture millions of coral eggs and sperm. They then rear baby corals in specially designed floating pools on the Reef and in mainland tanks. When they are ready, delivery is made onto damaged reefs to aid restoration and repopulate them.

This technique was first trialed on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and is now producing exceptional results. The baby corals from the first trial have already grown to dinner plate-size. Their spawning thus helps to boost the population further.

Creating a coral bank to restore our Reef:

Preserving the genetic biodiversity of our Reef’s corals is critical, particularly as the effects of climate change continue to threaten the survival of the Reef.

Key coral species’ sperm and eggs are being collected and frozen. They are then thawed in order to grow baby corals and transplant them back on the Reef to restore and repopulate it.

Improving water quality on our Reef:

Landholders adjacent to Reef catchments play a crucial role in Reef health. Improving the quality of water entering our Reef from inland and coastal rivers systems is one of the biggest impacts we can make locally for the health of our Reef.

Regional water quality programs are reducing the amount of nitrogen, sediment and pesticides reaching our Reef from priority catchments by restoring catchments and improving farming and land management practices.

Summary

Like many things on this planet, eco-destruction emanates from the activities of mankind. Saving the Great Barrier Reef should not have to be necessary in the first place. It’s a bit like chopping down old growth trees and then replanting. It will take decades to recover. Here’s hoping this incredible ecosystem can survive and flourish into the future. Every credit to everyone working to save the Reef.

References and Further Reading

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_threats_to_the_Great_Barrier_Reef

https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/newsroom/still-time-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef

https://www.barrierreef.org/news/news/what-we-re-doing-to-save-our-reef-and-how-you-can-help