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This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 36”x56”

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The Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. It is the largest reef

system on Earth. It is on the verge of being listed as a World Heritage in Danger Site by the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This is due to the

industrialization and natural climate changes occurring. Not many people know much about the

Great Barrier Reef and why it should be preserved. Its natural wonder is one of its kind and it

seems as if not many care to stand up against those who put it in danger, because they are

simply not informed of what is going on. Natural storms and climate changes already take their

toll on the reef. Human interactions do more harm than good when dealing with the Great

Barrier Reef. The best way we can help preserve the Great Barrier Reef is to strictly enforce

regulations on any human activities which damage it.

ABSTRACT

The Great Barrier is recognized as the largest natural structure in the world. Its vast

existence can even be seen from space. The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 14 degrees of

latitude. The intricacy of the formation of reef amazes all of its visitors. It is home to hundreds

and thousands of different marine wildlife. In 1770, a voyage under the command of James

Cook, a British Royal Navy Captain, was the earliest documented encounter of humans with the

Great Barrier Reef (Great Barrier Reef, 2014). Cook’s documented discovery resulted in the

international scientific community knowing of its existence. Several explorers after Cook began

to survey the rest of the reef and collected and documented information. Although Cook’s

voyage had been the first documented human encounter with the Great Barrier Reef, the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are native to its waters and land. There are around

70 clan groups made up of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders currently occupying the Great

Barrier Reef. They have lived in this region for tens of thousands of years, ever since the

majority of it was above sea level. Over 20 thousand years ago, glaciers from the end of the Ice

Age melted causing hills in the northeast of Australia to turn into islands. In 1975, the Great

Barrier Reef Park Authority was formed to protect it from any damaging activities. The

Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders assist them with helping preserve the Great Barrier Reef.

A world organization called UNESCO claimed the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Area in

1981, which meant that it now belonged to the world (United Nations Educational, 2014). A

zoning plan was put into effect to control the location of certain activities. This is to ensure

that no serious damage is done to the reef and its occupants.

INTRODUCTION

Corals are animals which make a calcium carbonate skeleton. They have a symbiotic

relationship with zooxanthellae. Approximately 600 soft and hard corals grow all over the

Great Barrier Reef. Climate change has risen the temperature of the waters of the Great

Barrier Reef, which has caused the bleaching of corals. The reason they bleach is because of

the the zooxanthellae being stressed out as they are sensitive to high temperatures. This

causes the algae to turn white and no longer support the corals by providing food. Hard corals

help build the reef. Over time, the polyps of hard coral will create a new base by detaching

and secreting a new basal plate on top of the old one. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is deposited

and the coral grows. All corals have the ability to retract their polyps to help protect them

from predators or unfavorable lighting and water conditions. Over the past several years,

Crown of Thorn Starfish have been destroying the coral population of the Great Barrier Reef. It

had been responsible for a 42 percent decline in the coral population. Recently, the

government gave permission to the culling of the Crown of Thorn Starfish whose population has

boomed due to a pollution run off into the reef. 250,000 of these starfish have been destroyed

by a single injection which gives a killer allergic reaction that kills the starfish within 24 hours

(AAP, 2014). In 1998, 50 percent of the corals were bleached mainly due to rising water

temperatures that stress them. In 2002, a 10 percent increase was observed in the bleaching of

corals. A 2013 study shows that only 44 percent of the corals in the great barrier reef are

healthy, which means there has been an improving difference in the health of the corals

(GBRMPA, 2014).

CORAL

There are over 15000 species of fish that occupy the Great Barrier Reef. The main families of

these fish are Angelfish, Butterfly Fish, Surgeon Fish, Cardinal Fish, Clown Fish, Damselfish,

Gobies, Groupers, Cods, Parrotfish, Sharks, Triggerfish, Trout and Wrasse. There are visitors

who feed these fish inappropriate food. Aside from the fishes’ health risk involved, uneaten

food adds more nutrients to the water. This is harmful because this will grow more algae than

normal and can harm corals. Angelfish are one of the most numerous species. There are over

80 species of Angelfish throughout the reef. Butterfly fish are vibrantly colored with a

FISH

OTHER ANIMALS

Whales, dolphins, dugongs, birds, sea turtles and sea snakes are also residents of the Great

Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is home to the largest population of dugongs. As of 2011,

the dugong population has been declining due to the natural damage done to seagrass which is

their food source. Floods and heavy rain destroy the delicate seagrass which can take up to 10

years to grow back (Pearlman, 2011). There are 6 of the 7 species of sea turtles living in the

Great Barrier Reef. 3 of the 6, Loggerhead, Olive Ridley and Leatherback are endangered while

the others are vulnerable. The three types of birds are Land, Sea and Shore birds. The Great

Barrier Reef is an important breeding area for sea birds as it homes 50% of the Australian Black

Noddy specie. It also has more than 25 percent of Australia’s tropical breeding population.

There are 17 different species of the sea snakes. Only 15 of these species are venomous, but

are normally not aggressive. There are about 30 species of dolphin and whales. The humpback

whale has been labeled as a vulnerable specie but is beginning to recover its population. Two

species of the dolphin, Australian snubfin and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins are the more

protected out of all the others due to their natural areas they inhabit being where there’s

much human activity.

INDUSTRIALIZATION

On December 15, 2013, Australia’s Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Gregg

Hunt, has permitted a coal port to be built in the surrounding waters of the Great Barrier

Reef (Zubrzycki, 2013). This has risen great concerns as marine life is sensitive to

environmental changes. Supporters of this decision believe that the regulations put into

place will protect the reef from any damages. The support stems from a $80bn debt the

Australian state, Queensland has. A projection of 60 million tons of thermal coal will

annually be produced. This would generate billions of dollars in revenue to Queensland. The

coal terminal will be located at Abbot Point, while dredging will take place right through

the Great Barrier Reef to provide passages for ships transporting the coal mainly to Asia and

India. Currently, dredging has already taken its toll in Gladstone Harbor as many fish and

other marine life have died from the large amounts of sediments clouding the water. The

Commonwealth Minister is taking actions to resolve the problem.

REFERENCES

1. Zubrzycki, J. (2013, December 15). Australia approves coal port near Great Barrier

Reef. Christian Science Monitor. p. N.PAG.

2. United Nations Educational. (2014). Retrieved from

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154http://www.greatbarrierreef.org.au/gladstone-

dredging-project-not-consistent-with-best-practice/

3. Pearlman, J. (2011, Aug 12). Ecological crisis looms for great barrier reef. The Straits

Times Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/883058067?accountid=38871

4. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.(2014) Current Conditions on the Reef.

Townsville, Australia<http://www.gbrmpa.com.au>

5. Great Barrier Reef.(2014).History of the Great Barrier Reef.Townsville,

Australia<http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/history.php>

6.AAP (2014, Apr 22) Starfish killer injection saving reef.AAP General News

Wire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1517994233?accountid=38871

By: Joeferson Gawaran

The Great Barrier Reef

dominant color of yellow. They have thin bodies to navigate through rocks to eat polyps

and algae. Cardinals are elusive and have homocercal claudal fins. Clownfish are brightly

colored and have been popular since the movie Finding Nemo. They have a symbiotic,

mutual relationship with anemones. Damsels are one of the most common species found in

the Great Barrier Reef. Despite their small size, they are very territorial. Gobies are the

smallest species of fish. They are mainly bottom dwellers and are a main food source for

predators. Groupers and Cods are some of the largest species but are harmless to humans.

They can weigh up to 800 lbs. Parrotfish resemble parrots by their beak-like mouths which

bite off coral for food. They grind the coral with their teeth and later excrete it as sand

which helps in the development of the reef. The White-tipped Reef Shark is the most

common specie. Tiger sharks are on top of the food chain as opportunistic predators.

Qualia.(Apr 2014).[Photo of Great Barrier Reef from bird eye view].Retrieved from

http://www.qualia.com.au/great-barrier-reef

Packtoholiday.(Apr 2014).[Photo of fish in the Great Barrier Reef].Retrieved from

http:/www.packtoholiday.com

Blueplanetcustodians.(May 2014)[Photo of coral in the Great Barrier Reef]. Retrieved

from http:/www.blueplanetcustodians.com

Greatbarrierreefinfo.(Apr

2014).[Photo of sea turtle in

theGreat Barrier

Reef].Retrieved from

http://www.greatbarrier

Reef.com.au