EaR - Stats + Quotes

Question 1

REEF - Climate change, sea surface temperature

Answer 1

“The average sea surface temperature in the GBR has risen substantially over the past century” - GBRMPA, 2017

Question 2

REEF - value

Answer 2

“The GBR has an economic [and] social … Asset value of $56 billion” - Deloitte Access Economics, 2017

Question 3

REEF - coral loss

Answer 3

GBR lost almost half its coral cover since 1985 - QLD Govt, 2017

Question 4

REEF - climate change, relationship betw. biophysical components

Answer 4

“loss of coral… has affected… Symbiosis, particle feeding, primary production, … and reef building” - GBRMPA Outlook report, 2021

Question 5

REEF - GBR, how large?

Answer 5

~350 000 sq km (approx. same size as Japan)

Question 6

REEF - GBR, how many individual reefs?

Answer 6

> 3000

Question 7

REEF - GBR, how many marine species (not including microbes + plankton)?

Answer 7

> 9000 (GBRMPA)

Question 8

REEF - GBR, Cyclone Debbie damaged %? year? reefs?

Answer 8

> 95% in 2017, some reefs of Whitsundays (Australian Institute of Marine Science

Question 9

REEF - GBR, cyclones responsible for how much coral loss?

Answer 9

48% (Australian Institute of Marine Science, 1985-2012)

Question 10

DUNE - length

Answer 10

10.4km

Question 11

DUNE - avg annual temp

Answer 11

13-22 deg cels

Question 12

DUNE - storms create how much wave energy reaching NSW coast?

Answer 12

3/4 (nsw govt 2019)

Question 13

DUNE - worldwide sandy shore intensity in rate of change

Answer 13

> 50% of the world’s sandy shores suffered chronic + severe rates of change in the past 30 years - World Ocean Assessment 2021

Question 14

DUNE - storms impact on foredune (Nigel quote)

Answer 14

“with the storms… the foredune doesn’t get a chance to recover” - Nigel McDonnell, Blacksmiths Dunecare leader

Question 15

DUNE - height before sand mining, then today

Answer 15

10-12m in 1941 (nsw govt 1941), 2-3m today

Question 16

DUNE - how much bitou in 1990?

Answer 16

1990 - 90% NSW coastline affected by bitou infestation (dunecare 1990)

Question 17

DUNE - impact of cool burning

Answer 17

“in 10 years… we will see a real difference” - BLALC member, 2018

Question 18

DUNE - how long to remove bitou @ blacksmiths by bushcare

Answer 18

19 years of bushcare to eradicate 99% - nigel mcdonnell 2019

Question 19

REEF - % business agricultural surrounding

Answer 19

80% - GBRMPA 2018

Question 20

REEF - threat of climate change to reef

Answer 20

“climate change remains the reef’s greatest threat” - Outlook Report 2019

Question 21

REEF - how many targets got an awful grade on the report card?

Answer 21

9/12 targets received a D/E grade on the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan in 2019

Question 22

REEF - % ocean floor covered in reefs

Answer 22

less than 1%

Question 23

REEF - COTS potential destroy how much coral? (%)

Answer 23

90% in one reef (GBR foundation 2022)

Question 24

What’s the new species of coral called and what are some things about it

Answer 24

Acropora. Pioneer species after bleaching/storm events, doesn’t form lithosphere effectively because it’s soft. Plating makes it seem like there’s more than there actually is

Question 25

REEF - zoning: Raine island status, quote about fish for efficacy

Answer 25

Raine island: green zone - marine national park zone (restrictions, turtle nesting ground)
Efficacy: fish numbers + average size are increasing (GBRMPA 2020)

Question 26

REEF - zoning evaluation –> negative

Answer 26

During the 2016-17 bleaching event, zoning did not protect the reef from extreme temperatures - GBRMPA

Question 27

REEF - Trad. man. view of indigenous people

Answer 27

“The sea… and our identity as traditional owners is inseparable” - Girrigun Aboriginal

Question 28

REEF - cont. management, education programs for cane farmers

Answer 28

Project Catalyst + Cane Changer

Question 29

REEF - COTS culling success

Answer 29

COTS numbers were successfully reduced to sustainable levels for coral at 79% of the cull sites actioned btwn

Question 30

CD - Delaware cost of program

Answer 30

$20 mil so far

Question 31

REEF - Beqa reef, Fiji, how much damage from COTS?

Answer 31

40% total coral loss - Pacific Blue 2022