Great Barrier Reef

Question 1

general facts (numbers)

Answer 1

• 2300 km long
• 3000 coral reefs
• 650 types of soft and hard corals
• 1625 types of fish
• 2.2 million tourists in 2018
• $6.4 billion per year

Question 2

general facts (others)

Answer 2

• The world’s largest coral reef system
• Off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea
• Listed as a world heritage site since 1981 for its scientific, environmental and cultural importance as well as it’s unique natural characteristics.
• Has been subjected to two devastating bleaching’s in 2016 and 2017
• Has received and is still facing severe damage that could lead to extinction (caused by global warming)

Question 3

tourism/use (DONT NEED TO KNOW)

Answer 3

• Cruises
• Snorkelling
• Scuba diving
• Glass Bottom Boat tours
• Submarine Reef tours
• Whale and dolphin watching

Question 4

zoning

Answer 4

• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is a multiple-use area
• Helps to manage and protect the Marine Park
• Each zone has different rules for the activities that are allowed, the activities that are prohibited, and the activities that require a permit
• Level of protection increase from the General Use Zone up to the most restrictive Preservation zone
• Penalties apply if you don’t follow zoning rules

Question 5

permits

Answer 5

• Some commercial activities and operations, including tourist programs, occurring in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park require a permit
• Issued by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

Question 6

whale and dolphin watching

Answer 6

• Breeding ground to about 30 species of whales and dolphins
• Whale and dolphin watching are popular tourist activities
• Legal requirements of tourist operators are set out in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 and the Environment protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
• Legal requirements include
• Must not entre water within 100 metres of a whale or within 50 metres of a dolphin
• Must not touch or feed a whale or dolphin
• Must not restrict paths of whales and dolphins

Question 7

impacts of tourism

Answer 7

• Increased pressure on sewage and transport
• Decrease water quality
• Introduced pests
• Coral damage
• Loss of wildlife habitat
• Potential harm to wildlife
• Potential water pollution
• Risk of oil or chemical spills
• Dredging to build ports and jetties

Question 8

manage impacts (DONT NEED TO KNOW)

Answer 8

• Prohibiting capital dredging for the development of new or expansion of existing port facilities to within the regulated port limits of Gladstone, Hay Point–Mackay, Abbot Point and Townsville (Reef 2050 Plan)
• Appointed a Queensland Minister for the Great Barrier Reef
• Banning disposal in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area of material from capital dredging projects
• Projected investment in the coming decade for research and management activities on the Reef is more than $A2 billion.
• Provided extra protection to turtles and dugongs through tough new laws against poaching (Reef 2050 Plan)

Question 9

water quality intro

Answer 9

• The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022
• Guides how industry, government and the community will work together to improve water quality flowing to GBR
• The total government investment in improving Reef water quality since 2013 through to 2024 is $900 million.
• Inshore marine water quality from the Wet Tropics in the north to the Fitzroy in the central region of the Reef remains in moderate to poor condition.
• Linked to pollutant inputs from land run-off, especially when there is a large amount of rainfall.
• Poor state of the GBR due to land run-off, extreme weather events, coastal development and climate change
• Sediments, nutrients and pesticides are the three biggest pollutants that affect the health of the GBR

Question 10

sediments

Answer 10

• Clay, silt, sand
• Blocks light for seagrasses and coral, reducing their growth
• When it settles can have effects on the early life stages of corals
• Comes from agricultural land use

Question 11

nutrients

Answer 11

• Natural chemical elements and compounds that plants and animals need to grow
• Upset the natural balance of reef ecosystems
• Increase outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish
• Increase coral bleaching and coral diseases
• Comes from fertilisers

Question 12

pesticides

Answer 12

• Man-made compounds
• Effects health of plants and corals
• Affects coral fertility and reproduction
• Comes from runoff from agricultural activities

Question 13

water quality (conclusion)

Answer 13

• Pesticide load has been reduced by 28 per cent
• Sediment load has been reduced by 11 per cent
• Reef receives run off from 35 major basins
• The reef’s costal and marine ecosystems can be improved by more intensively managing catchment water quality