The Australian The Australian Great Barrier Great Barrier

ReefReef

Nathalie NOMBLOTSustainable DevelopmentJune 6th, 2013

14 times FrancePopulation : 22,32 million(2011) GDP : 1,379 billion USD (2011)

Thorny dragon

The Great Barrier The Great Barrier ReefReef

• One of the seven natural wonders of the world

• Spans over 2,000 km• 400 types of coral, • 240 species of birds and • 1,500 species of fish

• 6 billion USD a year in tourism to the local economy

• The UNESCO gave the reef World Heritage status in 1991 and asked AUS to halt further port construction and limiting ship numbers

• AUS government has invested 200 million USD in its Reef Rescue program. o The scheme paid incentives to farmers, with matching farmer

funding, to improve farm management practices

• Plus 800,000 USD to fight the crown-of-thorns starfish

Bump head parrot fish

Napoleon

Barramundi

Brain Coral

Green Bubble Coral

What is a coral reef What is a coral reef ecosystem?ecosystem?

• Made up of: hard and soft corals, sponges, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and much more

• Each component of a coral reef is dependent upon and interconnected with

countless other plants, animals and organisms

• Abundance of once species can drastically alter both the diversity and abundances of others

Threats to the Great Barrier Threats to the Great Barrier ReefReef

• Rising sea temperatures• Hurricanes and other large storm events • Port and associated development • Isolated incidents involving boats, divers and

fishermen on the reef. • Lobster and stone crab traps • Debris: that hit and harm the coral, especially

plastic bags• inadequate waste water and storm water treatment• Storm water (rain water running off the land) often

includes harmful pollutants such as oil and gasoline, pesticides and fertilizers

Crown-of-thorn Crown-of-thorn starfishstarfish

• Prey on the reef and have multiplied amid nutrient rich flood waters in the past few years

• The crown-of-thorns starfish ejects a neurotoxin

• They devour coral reefs by climbing and excrete adigestive enzyme which Transforms the reef into consumable, liquefied tissue

MangrovesMangroves

Deforestation

-Sediment runoff will bring with it many natural and toxic components that will harm the coral ecosystems-sedimentation buildup that occurs at the mouth of the rivers that lead into the oceans

Human Pollution - petroleum leaks- chemicals that get

dumped into the oceans because of its toxicity to the environment.

Overfishing

-overfishing of certain species near coral reefs can easily affect the reef's ecological balance and biodiversity.

Major Ports along the GBR coast with the largest of these exporting coal. -These include Gladstone, Abbot Point and Hay Point (probably the largest coal export port in the world)-Townsville (sugar, mineral products and general cargo) -Cairns (sugar, tourism and general cargo).

Sedimentation

The sediments that flow out from rivers and large amounts of erosion carry with it many of the pollutants and fertilizers from the farms inland from the reefs.

Tourism Boating, diving, snorkeling and fishing

•Boats and stationary pontoons cause damage to the reef : anchors •Reef walking

•Small area of the reef or over a larger area of the reef?

•Ecological impacts result from construction, boats, water activities and wildlife interaction

•Tourism requires accommodation, transportation, shopping and entertainment, water and food, and waste and sewage management.

http://reefrelief.org/threats-to-coral-reefs/

http://reefrelief.org/learn/coral-reef-ecosystem/

Australian government pledges to protect Great Barrier Reef By Jane WardellSYDNEY | Thu Jan 31, 2013

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gc2sec7labgroup3/pollution