FACT SHEET HOW IS HUMAN ACTIVITY IMPACTING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is so big it is visible from space. This collection of more than 3,000 individual vibrantly-coloured coral reefs is larger in area than Italy and is considered the planet’s largest living structure and one of the seven wonders of the natural world. The Reef was designated a World Heritage Area in 1981 due to its status as one of the richest and most complex ecosystems on Earth. It is home to thousands of species, including 1,625 different fish, 133 sharks and rays, 242 birds and many varieties of whale, dolphin, sea turtle, dugong, crocodile and sea snake. The Reef is also a key economic asset, generating around $A6.4 billion a year and providing livelihoods to approximately 69,000 people, mainly from tourism. Under threat © WWF-AUSTRALIA Human activity has in recent years led to the loss of large sections of Reef and raised serious questions about the strength of its biodiversity and its long-term future.

Historically, tropical cyclones and poor water quality that cause outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish (which eat coral) have been the major causes of coral loss. In the past two years, successive coral bleaching events caused by underwater heatwaves due to climate change, have caused massive coral loss throughout the Reef World Heritage Area.

A coal export facility in Gladstone, QLD Meanwhile, sediment reaching the Reef has increased up to 10 times in some areas in the last 150 years, mostly due to grazing © WWF-AUS / KERRY TRAPNELL and cropping expansion. Such run-off is regarded as the second most significant pressure on the Reef. High levels of nitrogen can generate outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish, with excess nutrients also making corals prone to disease and promoting unwanted seaweed growth.

Parts of the Reef where commercial fishing is allowed have been depleted of predatory fish such as coral trout and snapper, allowing smaller fish to thrive, which has altered the balance and structure of the coral reef ecosystem. Sediment from grazing and cropping expansion puts pressure on the Reef © WWF-AUS / IAN MCCONNELF HOW IS HUMAN ACTIVITY IMPACTING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

Outcomes © BIOPIXEL The impacts of these challenges have been devastating. In 2016, some 22% of the Reef’s corals died during the worst ever mass bleaching event. A second consecutive mass bleaching occurred in 2017. Initial research indicates that 50% of the Reef’s coral may have died as a result of these two events.

The loss of corals destroys habitats and disrupts the food chain. Despite attempts at conserving endangered species, populations of dugongs, sharks, seabirds, marine turtles, sawfish and snubfin dolphins have declined.

In 2015, the United Nations reported: “the overall outlook for Coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef the Great Barrier Reef is ‘poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate’ ”.

What WWF is doing? © ADAM OSWELL / WWF It is not too late to secure the future of our beautiful Great Barrier Reef, but only if we dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions and rapidly shift to renewable energy such as solar and wind.

This window to save our Reef is closing and governments and industries need to act fast.

WWF supports conservation science, campaigns for improved climate change policies, and urges countries globally to embrace a future powered by renewable energy.

To improve water quality, WWF is dedicated to establishing The shift to renewable energy such as solar and wind is critical for saving a fund to repair Great Barrier Reef catchments, advocating for the Reef laws to reduce pollution and improve the health of the Reef’s catchments, and assisting farmers to adopt cleaner practices.

Published August 2017