The Great Barrier Reef - Case Study Example

The Great Barrier Reef Course Name Date The Great Barrier Reef Introduction The world’s most significant and largest coral reef ecosystem is the Great Barrier Reef situated in Australia. It is the most important environment for sea life and tourism attraction in Australia and the whole of Queensland. Along the Australian north-east coast, this reef extends a distance of 2,300 km making it a natural wonder (Schlotterbeck, 2013). Many unique animals and plants (found nowhere else in the globe) are found here and they must always be saved from depletion and harsh environment in general. It was established by the Australian government in 1975 as a statutory agency so that the existing natural treasures could be preserved for the benefit of generations to follow. Its key features that are responsible for its great significance are its geomorphic features that are important, its outstanding natural beauty, the ongoing processes (both biological and ecological) and the natural habitats that are used to preserve biological diversities. Location of the Great Barrier Reef in the north-east coast of Australia. It extends along the coast of Queensland as a whole. As a world heritage area, it covers an area of 348,000 km2 and is 2,300 km long as aforementioned. It comprises of 900 islands, waters in the outer boundaries and a minimum of 3,000 distinct coral reefs (Tollefson, 2016). The activities that take place facilitated by both employees and the inhabitants of this area are multiple and intense. The Marine Park regulates these activities by zoning or setting regulations to be adhered to. Over the past 30 years, there has been a lot of pressures to this facility accompanied by evident climatic changes and water pollution. Consequently, more than half of the corals have disappeared. Without any protective measures, it is estimated that the coral cover may disappear completely within the next 30 years. The Great Barrier Reef records great numbers of tourists annually earning to the Australian government more than 5 billion dollars per annum. In the year that ended in June 2014, Tourism Research Australia documented that 1,728,000 individuals had visited the reef as domestic tourists – a 27% increase from the previous year’s number of domestic tourists. International tourists had also increased by 6% to 2,244,217. This is solid evidence that this reef is an important part of the tourism sector and should be preserved at all costs to ensure maintained income to the nation and serve as a source of education for aquatic and marine sciences. Cultural Value Any people have been consistently involved in the activities of the Great Barrier Reef since its beginning. Cultural activities such as fishing and hunting have lasted for more than 1000 years in the islands and shore. Travelling to and from the islands has been aided by the canoes made by the Australia’s aboriginal people. Before the coming of the Europeans, they lacked permanent settlement patterns. They used to be moving their settlements up and down. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has maintained heritage as their legacy for a very long time and a strategy of passing the features of today’s living and experiences to the generations of tomorrow (Reichelt, 2014). This has enabled effectiveness in protecting the reef with an agenda of future enjoyments. Observation of heritage is diversified to entail identification, assessment and monitoring of its component features. This reef is historical since it was the first of its kind to obtain a world heritage status. This occurred in 1981. This was attributed to its universal value and standards. The set of properties of the reef that ensured its qualification for this distinction are the upholding of culture in or around the region and its significance in the natural environment. This is exceptional. All natural aspects are provided for the organisms in this reef to prevent their extinction or disappearance from the globe by ensuring the condition in which they exist is entirely favorable for their existence. Since the establishment of the reef, the communities that exist around the reef have accepted the activities of the reef as part and parcel of their day to day activities. It is important to them because it is a source of livelihood and generates income for them. That is why they are encouraged and take it as their own initiative to participate in voluntary activities that protect the reef (Lough, 2000). These activities ensure that the reef is resilient and healthy for the users and the organisms it contains the schools, farmers, local councils, fishermen and glaziers are all involved or affected by the activities that protect the reef. Economic Value The daily management of this facility is contributed entirely by the tourism and visitors who come to this reef to visit and see the nature it has. At the same time, this income aids in the activities that ensure management of the environment can be facilitated without barriers. This can aid the operations and the commercial activities that are done with permission from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) (Henzel, 2011). This is because visitors are charged for full day and part day visits. The most vital way in which this sector contributes to the society by providing them with employment and job opportunities – both skilled and unskilled labor. Deep sea divers who perform cleaning roles at the reef Residents’ protection of the Reef Due to the drastic growth of the tourism sector, the locals and citizens of Australia have been benefiting from the revenue. This has forced them to take it as their own initiative to perform activities that make the tourism sector more productive and able to provide more income to the nation. At the same time, they perform these activities to ensure their environment is safe for them (Power, 1983). Any harm that befalls the organisms in the reef may affect the population directly or indirectly. For instance, if organisms lack favorable conditions for survival, they will die and fishermen will lose their potential of raising income for their survival. An exploration and investigation to establish their perspective on the reef showed how beneficial it was to them. Some of them testify how much they have gained from being associated with the GBR in one way or another. The locals in particular occupy 80% of the employees in this area. With all the regulations set to regulate their participation in the ecosystem, they have been able to ensure the animals and plants within the reef are protected. The residential government officers and law enforcers have ensured that the law is abided to (Kummer, 2009). Law breakers are corrected and education on the importance of environmental conservation has helped in developing better strategies of protecting the Great Barrier Reef. The complexity of this governance has been unscrambled and each of the participants have been able to understand their role in protecting the reef. Role of Researchers In order for a research to be productive, it is important that the organisms remain in their natural environment and no interference introduced that are likely to alter their behaviors. Since the GBR retains the natural environment of the organisms and protect them there as well, it has become the best environment for studies in all stages of education. This has made the education sector to show interest in the protective measures that conserve the environment in its utmost natural status. Some of the tourists have been arriving from other continents just to conduct researches and come up with strategies. Some of the reef developers have also emulated the standards used to protect the reef to apply them in their regions and bring development to their tourism and academics sectors. Some research officers who are employees of the GBRMPA conduct thorough studies with an agenda of making the facility better and better. They present the results of their study to the board of analysts who ensure that strategies are made that will favor the facility positively (Tollefson, 2016). Recommendations are made with evidence tabulated and follow up done to ensure that they have been implemented. The Plans for the Reef There is a Reef 2050 Plan that has been designed by experts to ensure that the reef is up and running and favorable for all the organisms to prevent depletion and extinction. This plan also targets to expand the reef so that diversities can exist all under the same supervision. However, the Australian Academy of Science have conducted thorough and earnest analysis on the Plan formulated and have discovered some shortcomings and insufficiencies. Their report indicates that the plan is not adequate to ‘overcome or limit the trajectory of deterioration’ of the facility. This is because they do not consider possibility of modification of some problems and also the possibility of generating new or cumulative threats. The plan has some scientific and evidence based justifications that help identify the main targets that when addressed will have ensured that the reef reaches its required or expected levels. The scientists and research officers that regularly supervise the progress of the reef have found out that there are a lot of issues under the water surface that need to be addressed with urgency. The ecosystems are coined in such a way that some incidences that are far from normal occur and these strange incidences occur more commonly than expected. At the same time, some of the coastal land are used for purposes that alters the behavior of some of the animals. The major animal affected here are the turtles. The coastal land acts as they breeding grounds, and any interference with their breeding grounds can alter behavioral changes of the offspring. One limitation of the Plan is that it has no precise recommendations and is more open ended than what is required. For example, the amount of waste that can be disposed by an individual is given no limit and the waters become unfavorable for most of the animal (Kummer, 2009). Clarity is also reduced. When clarity is reduced, sea divers are also at risk since they can knock reefs, islands, rocks or large animals. When the waters get dirty due to human activities, animals leave such areas and sea divers also find it difficult to observe the marine creatures. Dredging Activities There have been dredging activities and the installation of derricks at different sea points with an aim of mining oil or minerals that exist below the sea bed. These activities pollute water and pollute sound making it difficult to keep the animals that require still waters to survive or breed. This is why the government has chipped in with an intervention to ensure that the mining industry does not present challenges to the reef. In as much as mining is important, tourism is equally important. This is why a set of rules have been developed that prevent miners from setting up mine fields in the reefs. This has also been a key area of interest that is addressed by international organizations that prevent organisms from extinction. Dumping of dredge spoil in the GBR has also been prohibited by the government. One of the organisms that are being protected from extinction are the turtles of the Raine Island. Most have been exterminated by the dumping of dredge waste in the Reef. All female kinds of this species go to the small island annually to lay their eggs in the island. Unfortunately, some of the hatched young ones do not survive due to the harsh conditions that they face. The island itself is also protected since any interference and damage to the island. It is clear that this animal can travel for more than 2,400 km across the ocean to reach this island so that it can lay the eggs. The green turtle that move long distances to lay eggs in the Raine Island Climate Change The main problem that affects the reef and has affected many organisms here is climate change. It has affected the social, environmental and economic activities in the reef by a great margin and to a large extent. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of 2007 made a conclusion that ‘Warming of the climate system is unequivocal’ and ‘Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.’ This global meeting confirmed that if nothing is done to counter the rapidly changing environmental changes then it will not be possible to lead a life with normal business conducted (Hopley, Smithers and Parnell, n.d). This change in climate is accompanied by acidification of the ocean. The greenhouse effect is interfered with and there is an increase in the CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Apart from the fact that this can drive an elevation in the normal environment temperature, this CO2 can dissolve in the ocean water to form weak carbonic acid. Some of the sea animals have a thin membrane as skin that is easily permeable by salts, electrolytes and particles that are capable of crossing the membrane (Tolefson, 2016). Considering temperature, there has been an elevation in temperature between 0.4°C to 0.4°C over the last 50 years. The pH has also decreases by more than 0.1 meaning that the sea is becoming more and more acidic as time moves. These little changes have seen some of the organisms and corals disappearing. If this is not corrected, what more will the GBR lose in the coming century. All that has taken so long to establish and maintain could simply fade away in a short span of time. Corals drying due to the change in temperature and acidity Human encroachment It is safer for sea animals, sea anemones and plants to stay free from interference by humans. Humans, in every ecosystem, always play a role as the turning point in the ecosystem. The organisms’ reaction towards the involvement of humans in their ecosystem is profoundly unpredictable. There are lots of evidence that can support these facts. The policy to allow humans to live along the coast where the GBR is situated has altered a lot over the past years. Apart from the dredging activities, fishermen have been catching even unnecessary organisms from the sea that are not essential for their consumption – so they kill them without proper reason. At the same time, there are fishing and shipping rules that are applied in the reef, but some of the people involved do not follow the recommended set of rules set for them. Their inability to comply with the law has brought a lot of harm to the organisms in the sea. There are numerous ports that have been established along the shore over the past years. These ports include Hay Point, Abbot Point and Gladstone. These ports have served as major points at which coal is exported. Dredging and creation of ports have an almost similar effect on the water of the seas – they all consist of machinery that dump their waste into the sea and cause disturbances to the flow of the water around their situational area causing turbulence. It has been determined that dredging activities and movement of machinery in water causes significant degradation of the environment. There has been a significant decline in the quality of marine water. It has lost its electrolyte concentration and osmolality. This is why the Auditor General of Queensland has recommended that quality of water in the reef be corrected occasionally by improving the quality of water that get into the reef from the nearby catchment areas. If these are not improved, it is clear that there will be a profound interference with the ecosystems and it will be difficult for the organisms to survive. The use of farming systems that are not friendly, use of pesticides and fishing methods that involve application of poisonous materials and toxins on water surface have made it difficult to conserve the natural environment in the GBR. Perhaps, this has hastened the disappearance of the coral reefs and the drastic drop in populations of different species without evaluable etiologies. The clarity of water has also been altered by some domestic and non-decomposable wastes in water. Conclusion From the aforementioned activities that have ensued over the past years, it is evident that the GBR is yet to receive even greater downfalls and may fall with a great thud that will be beyond repair. It is positive to see how the government and different organizations are on toes to ensure the main agenda of developing this Reef is maintained. However, not enough has been done to show that the bodies involved are putting much of their efforts in eradicating the activities that will set the reef developments aback. Those who benefit from the reef, ironically, perform activities that endanger the organisms in the reef without taking into consideration the harm that they are causing to the economy and themselves. Some of the activities such as uncensored fishing, non-environment friendly farming and control of pests, dredging and establishment of ports are all factors that jeopardize the Reef and all it contains. Recommendations There are a lot of positive measures that can be used by the government to develop the reef. The most vital way is educating the public on the importance and benefits of having a reef and encouraging them to participate in activities that conserve the environment. The government can also set stringent rules that prohibit the public from conducting activities that endanger creatures in the reef. Those who go against the set rules should be convicted. Finally, more studies should be carried out in the reef and its environments to come up with better ways of conserving the plants and animals that exist herein. These will see a great advancement and realization of the people’s demands. References Henzel, C. K. (2011). Great Barrier Reef. Edina, MN: Abdo Pub. Hopley, D., Smithers, S. G., & Parnell, K. (n.d.). Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The Geomorphology of the Great Barrier Reef, 311-366. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511535543.011 Kummer, P. K. (2009). The Great Barrier Reef. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Lough, J. (2000). Climate Variability and Change on the Great Barrier Reef. Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs, 269-300. doi:10.1201/9781420041675.ch17 Power, A. (1983). The Great Barrier Reef. Sydney: Lansdowne Press. Reichelt, R. (2014). Resource utilization strategies of vermivorous gastropods on Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef. doi:10.14264/uql.2014.514 Schlotterbeck, U. (2013). Great Barrier Reef – bedrohte Wunderwelt des Meeres. Im Fokus: Meereswelten, 103-119. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-37720-4_9 Tollefson, J. (2016). Ocean acidification reversed on Great Barrier Reef. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19410 Read More

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has maintained heritage as their legacy for a very long time and a strategy of passing the features of today’s living and experiences to the generations of tomorrow (Reichelt, 2014). This has enabled effectiveness in protecting the reef with an agenda of future enjoyments. Observation of heritage is diversified to entail identification, assessment and monitoring of its component features. This reef is historical since it was the first of its kind to obtain a world heritage status.

This occurred in 1981. This was attributed to its universal value and standards. The set of properties of the reef that ensured its qualification for this distinction are the upholding of culture in or around the region and its significance in the natural environment. This is exceptional. All natural aspects are provided for the organisms in this reef to prevent their extinction or disappearance from the globe by ensuring the condition in which they exist is entirely favorable for their existence.

Since the establishment of the reef, the communities that exist around the reef have accepted the activities of the reef as part and parcel of their day to day activities. It is important to them because it is a source of livelihood and generates income for them. That is why they are encouraged and take it as their own initiative to participate in voluntary activities that protect the reef (Lough, 2000). These activities ensure that the reef is resilient and healthy for the users and the organisms it contains the schools, farmers, local councils, fishermen and glaziers are all involved or affected by the activities that protect the reef.

Economic Value The daily management of this facility is contributed entirely by the tourism and visitors who come to this reef to visit and see the nature it has. At the same time, this income aids in the activities that ensure management of the environment can be facilitated without barriers. This can aid the operations and the commercial activities that are done with permission from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) (Henzel, 2011). This is because visitors are charged for full day and part day visits.

The most vital way in which this sector contributes to the society by providing them with employment and job opportunities – both skilled and unskilled labor. Deep sea divers who perform cleaning roles at the reef Residents’ protection of the Reef Due to the drastic growth of the tourism sector, the locals and citizens of Australia have been benefiting from the revenue. This has forced them to take it as their own initiative to perform activities that make the tourism sector more productive and able to provide more income to the nation.

At the same time, they perform these activities to ensure their environment is safe for them (Power, 1983). Any harm that befalls the organisms in the reef may affect the population directly or indirectly. For instance, if organisms lack favorable conditions for survival, they will die and fishermen will lose their potential of raising income for their survival. An exploration and investigation to establish their perspective on the reef showed how beneficial it was to them. Some of them testify how much they have gained from being associated with the GBR in one way or another.

The locals in particular occupy 80% of the employees in this area. With all the regulations set to regulate their participation in the ecosystem, they have been able to ensure the animals and plants within the reef are protected. The residential government officers and law enforcers have ensured that the law is abided to (Kummer, 2009). Law breakers are corrected and education on the importance of environmental conservation has helped in developing better strategies of protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

The complexity of this governance has been unscrambled and each of the participants have been able to understand their role in protecting the reef. Role of Researchers In order for a research to be productive, it is important that the organisms remain in their natural environment and no interference introduced that are likely to alter their behaviors.

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