Great Barrier Reef Essay
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300 kilometres along the Queensland coast and includes over 2,900 reefs and around 940 islands and clays The reef is the only living organic collective on earth that is visible from space. Because of the marine parks natural beauty, it has become one of the of the world most visited tourist destinations with more than 2 million people visiting the marine park every year. There are a number of reasons why the reef is a positive aspect to Australia, including; the tourism industry, the environmental diversity and the employment opportunities that are associated with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The Great Barrier Reef is maintained and managed by the ‘Great Barrier Reef Marine …show more content…
Oil spills are a major danger to the great barrier reef. Despite the efforts of the government agencies to keep the Great Barrier reef in the best condition possible there have been a extensive number of oil spills over the past few decades that have affected the reef and it marine life. Since 1987 there has been 283 oil spills to this date in the Great Barrier Reef. Over-fishing is another issue that affects the reef in many ways. The fishing industry is second only to tourism in terms of income generation related directly to the great barrier reef, bringing in an annual profit of over $1 billion to Australia. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has made the majority of areas of the reef off-limits for fishing with an emphasis on reef sustainability. Tourist visits are another of the negative aspects, it maybe lovely for the people that visit also it is majorly damaging the wild life in the reef. There are also natural threats. These threats include coral bleaching; this is due to a reaction to the increasing water temperature. The crown of thorns starfish; the starfish is an inhabitant to the reef itself, it releases neurotoxins to absorb the tissue of the corral. Cyclical threats are also another major issue; water temperature and climate change is considered to be a primary culprit in the increase in water temperatures that have begun to strike the great barrier
The Great Barrier Reef stretches 2,300 kilometres along the Queensland coast and includes over 2,900 reefs and around 940 islands and clays The reef is the only living organic collective on earth that is visible from space. Because of the marine parks natural beauty, it has become one of the of the world most visited tourist destinations with more than 2 million people visiting the marine park every year. There are a number of reasons why the reef is a positive aspect to Australia, including; the tourism industry, the environmental diversity and the employment opportunities that are associated with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The Great Barrier Reef is maintained and managed by the ‘Great Barrier Reef Marine …show more content…
Oil spills are a major danger to the great barrier reef. Despite the efforts of the government agencies to keep the Great Barrier reef in the best condition possible there have been a extensive number of oil spills over the past few decades that have affected the reef and it marine life. Since 1987 there has been 283 oil spills to this date in the Great Barrier Reef. Over-fishing is another issue that affects the reef in many ways. The fishing industry is second only to tourism in terms of income generation related directly to the great barrier reef, bringing in an annual profit of over $1 billion to Australia. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has made the majority of areas of the reef off-limits for fishing with an emphasis on reef sustainability. Tourist visits are another of the negative aspects, it maybe lovely for the people that visit also it is majorly damaging the wild life in the reef. There are also natural threats. These threats include coral bleaching; this is due to a reaction to the increasing water temperature. The crown of thorns starfish; the starfish is an inhabitant to the reef itself, it releases neurotoxins to absorb the tissue of the corral. Cyclical threats are also another major issue; water temperature and climate change is considered to be a primary culprit in the increase in water temperatures that have begun to strike the great barrier