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Some issues are not serious now but could threaten the Great Barrier Reef in the future if left unaddressed. These include disturbance of the Reef’s ecosystem by tourists, pest species and disease. Tourism The threat of tourism is greatest around Cairns, Port Douglas and the Whitsunday Islands, where most tourists to the Reef stay. Potential problems include coral being damaged by boats, anchors, fishers, divers and illegal souvenir hunters. Damage to coral takes decades to recover. Animals may also be disturbed or injured. Eco-certified tourism operators help to educate and inform tourists in order to reduce these threats. Eco-certified tourism operators More than 40 per cent of tourists to the Great Barrier Reef use eco-certified tourism operators. These companies receive special training to minimise the environmental impact of their own and their customers’ activities in the Park. Overfishing of the major predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), the triton, may have helped cause COTS outbreaks. There are more COTS in areas where the triton is fished than in non-fished zones. Introduced pest species Pest species, such as the Asian green mussel, sometimes ‘hitchhike’ from other countries on visiting ships. Once in the Reef area, they compete with native species for food and habitats. None of the 15 introduced species recorded by Queensland Ports currently threatens the Great Barrier Reef’s biodiversity or its fishing industries. 26 Teaching tourists to ‘look but don’t touch’ is vital in keeping the Reef’s fish healthy. Fish have a slime layer that protects them from germs, but it is easily broken if touched. Native pest species Introduction of diseases Some native species also disturb the balance of the ecosystem. The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) is native to the Great Barrier Reef. It feeds on live coral. COTS population explosions, called outbreaks, can destroy whole reefs. Scientists think that human activities are a factor in causing outbreaks, which have only been observed for the past 40 years. Introduced species could potentially bring new diseases with them. Seven diseases are already known to exist in the Reef’s corals. Although coral disease in the Great Barrier Reef has increased, it is not currently a major threat. 27 The future of the Great Barrier Reef looks grim because the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority cannot directly protect the Reef from the worldwide threat of climate change. However, addressing local threats gives the Reef a better chance of resisting the effects of climate change. Climate change In the Great Barrier Reef area, climate change is causing increased coral bleaching, sea temperature, sea level and acidification. The Reef’s future largely depends on how well and how quickly the world adopts renewable energy sources to decrease greenhouse gases. Without swift global action, the Reef’s structure and ecosystem will ultimately collapse. The Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan 2007–2012 This Action Plan aims to build the Reef’s health and limit the impact of climate change. Part of the funding from a ‘Caring for our Country’ program, which has received $200 million dollars over five years, is going towards putting the Action Plan into practice. … much of what will happen to the Great Barrier Reef in the future will be determined by factors external to it and Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Outlook Report, 2009 28 Without swift, effective global action against climate change, coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef will become more frequent and more severe. Pollution Management actions are tackling the problem of pollution entering the Reef. Recent improvements to nearby farming practices have reduced pollution levels in catchment runoff. Revisions to planning and development rules by the Queensland Government address pollution coming from coastal towns and cities. Maritime laws deal with pollution coming from shipping. However, critics argue for stricter laws, better enforcement and tougher fines. I have seen the sediment plume from the Fitzroy River after the big 90–91 flood, that was the one that killed all the Reef out here at Keppel Island. It was enormous. Lionel Bevis, resident of Keppel Island, 2007 Coastal development By 2026, the number of people living beside the Great Barrier Reef is predicted to be almost 40 per cent higher. Ongoing careful planning and management will be needed to minimise the impact of pollution and habitat loss from coastal development on the Reef’s ecosystem. Coastal development can destroy nearby habitats and pollute the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. 29 There are two sides to every issue. There are arguments both for and against doing more to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Arguments for Arguments against hhIf there was more money and there were hhIncreased protection would not address the more people to protect the Reef, better management and planning decisions could be made. hhIf there were tighter controls on fishing, fewer animals would be removed from their habitats. hhIf there were tighter controls on tourism, there would be less damage to the Reef from human activities. major threats of climate change. hhIncreased protection could affect Australia’s economy, because it is expensive and some people employed in tourism or fishing could lose their jobs. hhIncreased protection could deny the rights of Indigenous Australians (by restricting traditional activities) and groups such as fishers and farmers. hhIf there were tighter controls on shipping, acidification the process that makes water more acidic biodiversity the variety of living things in a particular place bycatch unwanted species caught by fishing nets and lines catchment run-off rainwater that collects in an area and flows through rivers into the sea climate change the process by which the world’s climate is changing due to an increase in the levels of certain gases in the atmosphere coastal development building on or using the land next to the sea controversial a subject about which there is strong disagreement coral bleaching when a major change in the environment stresses hard corals, causing them to turn white economy the system of organising goods and services ecosystem a community of living and non-living things and the interactions between them extinct having died out food web a community of species that depend on each other for food greenhouse gases gases such as carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere there would be fewer oil spills and ships running aground. habitats the places where animals and plants live introduced species species brought to an area where they are not naturally found native naturally found in a region or country native title the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous people still practising their traditional laws and customs in a place hold rights to that place …ongoing efforts by State and Commonwealth Authorities to reduce local and regional pressures must be maintained to maximise the resilience of the GBR [Great Barrier Reef]. Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2009 Ultimately, if changes to the world’s climate become too severe, no management actions will be able to climate-proof the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. overfishing when so many individuals of a fish species are taken from an area that the population’s future is threatened Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Outlook Report, 2009 predator an animal that lives by preying on other animals pesticide a chemical used to kill pests such as insects polluted made impure renewable something that is not used up and is able to be renewed salinity the concentration of salt in water or soil sediment tiny bits of soil and stone that settle to the bottom of water k? What do you thin doing Should we be t the Great more to protec Barrier Reef? 30 sustainable able to be used and conserved for the future traditional owners the people who lived in a place first trawling catching animals from the sea using a boat dragging a bag-like net zoning dividing a place into different areas (or zones) for different activities 31