Give an account of the great barrier reef
Answers
Answer:
explore the stunning Whitsunday Islands, trek the ancient Daintree Rainforest or relax on luxurious tropical islands such as Hayman and Lizard, a day on the reef is all about the unforgettable nature that surrounds you. Adopt Australia's easygoing attitude when you island-hop, or stay in one of the many coastal getaways such as Cairns, Airlie Beach, Hervey Bay, Mission Beach and Port Douglas
Answer:
Explanation:
Imagine a place of tremendous natural beauty above and below the water. From the air, you see sprawling patterns of coral reef. Interspersed are green vistas of vegetated islands and white wisps of sandy beach. Dive underwater and you find brightly colored coral, fish, and underwater plant life. There are dolphins, whales, dugongs, and dozens of other unique species. Scattered across the seascape are islands with names like Lizard Island, Pumpkin Island, and Daydream Island. This place is no daydream—it's the Great Barrier Reef.
Located in Queensland, Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's most extensive coral reef structure. The reef has been evolving for over 15,000 years and is made up of over 3,000 individual reef systems. It covers a total area of 348,000 square kilometers–that's the same size as 70 million football fields! In fact, the Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing that is visible from space. The biodiversity of the reef is remarkable. It is home to many unique ecological communities, habitats, and species. Some of these species, such as turtles and crocodiles, have been around since prehistoric times. The reef contains 600 types of soft and hard corals. It also provides a habitat to 1,500 species of fish. 133 varieties of sharks and rays swim the waters of the reef. The region also hosts a variety of birds, whales, dolphins, and many other species. These species of the Great Barrier Reef and their habitats are deeply interconnected.
Its stunning natural scenery makes the Great Barrier Reef a popular tourist destination. About two million people visit the reef each year. Most of those visitors are domestic tourists. This is largely due to the fact that Australia is so far away from most places. There are lots of different ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Visitors can go diving, fishing, swimming, and enjoy water sports. Some people choose to tour the reef by airplane or helicopter, and others may tour the reef by boat. Tourists can take in the spectacular scenery from a small dinghy or a grand superyacht. There are even glass-bottomed boats that let passengers view the underwater wildlife and scenery. Adventurous visitors may seek out one of the handful of havens where they can swim with wild dolphins. One of the major appeals of these activities is that most of them do not require special training or expensive equipment. There is no one way for people to experience the reef. Regardless of the activities people choose, they encounter some of the most stunning maritime scenery on the planet.
The Great Barrier Reef was designated a natural world heritage site in 1981 because of its remarkable biodiversity. The reef itself is part of the larger Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. With so many visitors each year, there is some concern that tourism is harmful to the reef. Water sports and boating activities especially need to be monitored to prevent environmental harm. When a boat drops anchor, the anchor itself can destroy soft coral and chip hard coral. It can also disturb the local ecosystem when it drags across the seabed. The coral reefs themselves only make up about seven percent of the entire marine park. The marine park is divided into zones that have different levels of protection. Each zone has different rules about the activities that are permitted and those that are not. Certain zones limit or restrict boat anchorage. This is especially true of zones containing coral. There are also other environmental threats faced by the Great Barrier Reef.
The authorities that manage the Great Barrier Reef consider climate change to be the greatest threat to the reef. Warming ocean temperatures are causing a phenomenon called coral bleaching. Coral has a substance called algae living in it. The algae provides the coral with up to 90 percent of the energy it needs. When the water is too warm, coral will release the algae living in its tissue. This causes the coral to turn completely white. One coral releases its algae, it begins to starve. Coral can sometimes survive bleaching, but it is under considerably more stress afterward. Unfortunately, coral bleaching due to climate change is not the only challenge faced by the reef.
Pollution is another significant environmental threat. The vibrant ecosystems and habitats of the Great Barrier Reef are delicate and highly vulnerable to worsening water conditions caused by pollution. Strong scientific evidence suggests that increasing amounts of pesticides and fertilizers are entering the Great Barrier Reef. The majority of land that borders the reef is used for farming sugar cane. Pesticides and fertilizers used by cane farmers end up in the waters around the reef due to rainfall runoff and soil erosion. These harmful substances also make it into the groundwater through field drainage systems. Toxic pesticides pose a serious risk to marine wildlife in freshwater areas of the reef.