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A Reef Worth Saving

10/1/2014

6 Comments

 
Picture
Great Barrier Reef by Eulinky @ flickr.com
As a child I always imagined that I would someday be a marine biologist. My days were spent dreaming of a future swimming with dolphins and prodding squishy things with strange contraptions, my hair full of sand.

That’s pretty much all that I expected marine biology to be, so you can see why I never went down that path.

Even so, I’ve always been enchanted by the ocean.

One happy day I travelled to Queensland with my dad and brother to visit the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders that Australia proudly claims.                                                            
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I was jumping out of my skin to embark on this adventure to the largest coral reef in the world. Imagine my disappointment when our booking was cancelled, due to horrible weather that week.

Never mind, I reassured myself, one day I’ll be back to see you, Great Barrier Reef.

Except that I haven’t been back. Not yet, anyway.

And if events foreshadowed in this article come to pass, I may never get a chance to see the Reef in its prime.

That would be devastating. For my own selfish reasons, sure, but more importantly because the Reef is home to millions of life forms, supporting one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world – an ecosystem now threatened by destruction due to over-development in the area.

The Great Barrier Reef is listed as a World Heritage site, which should afford it a high level of protection, but the Australian government has approved a number of coal and gas port expansions within the area over the last few years. There are grave concerns this is damaging the ecosystem.

The Reef we see today has taken thousands of years to form (that's being conservative), and I can't help but wonder, how long will it take to destroy?

The National Geographic paints a gloomy picture of the Reef’s future, using the example of toxic materials causing an outbreak of disease and a decline in critically endangered species (such as sea turtles and in-shore dolphins) within the reef.

Picture
Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef is visible from space? NASA Satellite image found on flickr.com
The United Nations has even considered putting the Great Barrier Reef on the list of endangered world heritage sites for 2014, if there's no improvement.

On a positive note, there has been at least one step in the right direction. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has delayed the decision to dump 3 million cubic metres of toxic dredge into the reef, after a wide-spread public campaign involving GetUp and other organisations.

But this is not the end of it - it’s simply hitting the pause button on one risky project, which does not operate alone.

If, like me, this issue is close to your heart, consider writing a letter or signing this petition to convince The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that more action is needed. They are currently using this delay to assess any damage that the project may cause. This is a good opportunity to show that many Australians won’t stand for destruction of the reef.

For a planet covered in blue, we sure know how to take advantage of the ocean, stripping it of precious resources and paying no attention to chemicals seeping in to destroy complex ecosystems that we all rely on. Soon it will be too late, the damage will be irreversible.

No doubt it will take much more than a letter to make a difference, but it’s worth a shot and good to see that some progress is being made.

Picture
Helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef. Image by Sarah_Ackerman @ flickr.com
6 Comments
Mary link
11/1/2014 02:47:11 pm

great blog Melissa, I've signed the petition and written a letter - thanks for drawing our attention to this - I'm Irish but visited the reef 13 years ago - it is truly spectacular and a tragedy if it is not protected.
Mary

Reply
Melissa
12/1/2014 04:29:29 am

Thanks Mary!

Reply
Crystal link
11/1/2014 06:14:43 pm

Hi Melissa,

Thank you for the opportunity to learn a little more about the CRAZY threats to the GBR and to sign the pledge. (Hope they welcome American postal codes. : ) The threats to reefs around the world are so significant over the next hundred years when climate change continues on its exponential journey, it doesn't need any help from sludge dumping, huh? This is my first visit here. I like your site and your message. Keep going!

Reply
Melissa
12/1/2014 04:31:39 am

Thanks Crystal! Yup, sludge dumping is the last thing the GBR needs, what with all the rest of it to deal with too.

Reply
Alenka link
13/1/2014 10:39:00 pm

Thank you for waking us up. I know there are many places that are endangered, but never realised it's really that bad. I signed the petition and I really hope we all can help to preserve our Mother Earth.

Reply
Melissa
9/2/2014 08:53:05 am

Thanks!

Reply



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