Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, made up of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. It stretches for more than 2,300 kilometres (1,400 miles) along the coast of Queensland, Australia. So big that it can even be seen from outer space, the Great Barrier Reef is built by tiny living organisms called coral polyps.

This incredible reef is home to thousands of sea creatures and was chosen as a World Heritage Site in 1981. It is also one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Many people visit the reef each year, making tourism very important for the local economy.

However, the Great Barrier Reef faces many challenges. Climate change has caused coral bleaching, where corals lose their colour and health. Pollution from land and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish also harm the reef. Scientists are working hard to protect and restore this amazing natural wonder for future generations.

"Discovery" and naming

The Great Barrier Reef has been an important part of the cultures and spirituality of Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples for a very long time.

The first European to discover the reef was James Cook in 1770. He sailed and mapped the east coast of Australia. Later, in 1802, Matthew Flinders named the Great Barrier Reef after mapping it in more detail. He used different terms to describe the reefs, such as "great reef" and "barrier reef," depending on what he saw.

Geology and geography

The Great Barrier Reef is a special part of the East Australian Cordillera division. It stretches from Torres Strait, between Bramble Cay and the south coast of Papua New Guinea, all the way down to the area between Lady Elliot Island and Fraser Island.

Over millions of years, the reef has grown as sea levels changed and Australia moved north. Coral needs sunlight, so it only grows up to 150 metres deep. The land under the reef was once a coastal plain, and corals began growing on submerged hills as sea levels rose. Today, the reef covers a huge area and includes many different kinds of reefs, such as ribbon reefs, deltaic reefs, fringing reefs, lagoonal reefs, crescentic reefs, and planar reefs.

Ecology

Main article: Threatened species known to occur in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

The Great Barrier Reef is home to an amazing variety of plants and animals. It supports many vulnerable and endangered species, including thirty kinds of whales and dolphins, large groups of dugongs, and over 1,500 fish species such as clownfish. Six types of sea turtles come to the reef to breed. The reef also has many species of sea snakes, sharks, stingrays, molluscs, pipefish, and seahorses.

The islands of the reef support many birds and plants, with some plants found only there. There are also hundreds of species of corals, bryozoans, and seaweeds, which help create rich habitats for other sea creatures.

Environmental threats

Main article: Environmental threats to the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef faces many challenges that affect its health. Climate change is a big concern because it causes the ocean to warm up, leading to coral bleaching. When corals bleach, they lose their color and become weak. Other problems include pollution from farms, crown-of-thorns starfish that eat coral, and sometimes accidents with ships that can spill oil into the water. These threats make it important to protect the reef and keep it healthy for future generations.

The reef has experienced several mass bleaching events in recent years, such as in 1998, 2016, 2017, and 2020, due to rising ocean temperatures. Pollution from farming, especially runoff containing fertilizers and chemicals, also harms the corals by reducing water quality and light. Overfishing can disrupt the balance of marine life, and shipping accidents pose a risk of oil spills. Efforts are ongoing to address these issues and preserve this amazing natural wonder.

Protection and preservation: Reef 2050 plan

Further information: Natural Heritage Trust

In March 2015, the Australian and Queensland's governments created a plan called the "Reef 2050 Plan" to protect the Great Barrier Reef until 2050. This plan suggests ways to manage pollution, climate change, and other problems that threaten the reef. It includes ideas for measuring progress, improving water quality, and investing in the reef’s future.

The plan focuses on actions like cleaning up water around the reef and helping the reef grow stronger. However, some experts worry that the plan does not do enough to tackle climate change, which is a big reason the reef is in trouble. In 2018, a large amount of money was given to a group working to protect the reef, though some people were concerned about how the money was awarded.

Human use

The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aboriginal Australians have been living in the area for at least 40,000 years, and Torres Strait Islanders since about 10,000 years ago. For these clan groups, the reef is an important cultural feature.

In 1768, Louis de Bougainville encountered the reef, but did not explore it. On 11 June 1770, HM Bark Endeavour, captained by explorer James Cook, ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, sustaining considerable damage. Lightening the ship and re-floating it during an incoming tide eventually saved it. The reef was largely unstudied in the 19th century because it had no atolls. During this time, some of the reef's islands were mined for deposits of guano, and lighthouses were built as beacons throughout the system, as in Raine Island, the earliest example. In 1922, the Great Barrier Reef Committee began carrying out much of the early research on the reef.

Management

Royal Commissions disallowed oil drilling in the Great Barrier Reef. In 1975, the Government of Australia created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and prohibited various activities. The park is managed, in partnership with the Government of Queensland, through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that it is used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning, management plans, permits, education and incentives are employed in the effort to conserve the reef.

In 1999, the Australian Parliament passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which improved the operation of national environmental law. The marine bioregional planning process came from the implementation of this law. This process conserves marine biodiversity by considering the whole ecosystem a species is in and how different species interact in the marine environment.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef

Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and accessibility from tourist boats called "live aboards", the reef is a very popular destination, especially for scuba divers. Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef is concentrated in Cairns and also The Whitsundays due to their accessibility. These areas make up 7–8% of the park's area. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer daily boat trips. Several continental and coral cay islands are now resorts, including Green Island and Lady Elliot Island.

Approximately two million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. Tourism is managed to be ecologically sustainable. A daily fee is levied that goes towards research of the Great Barrier Reef. This fee ends up being 20% of the GBRMPA's income. Policies on cruise ships, bareboat charters, and anchorages limit the traffic on the Great Barrier Reef.

Fishing

The fishing industry in the Great Barrier Reef, controlled by the Queensland Government, is worth A$1 billion annually. It employs approximately 2000 people, and fishing in the Great Barrier Reef is pursued commercially, for recreation, and as a traditional means for feeding one's family.