What are the 5 threats to the Great Barrier Reef?

The growing combination of rising water temperatures, poorer water quality from sediment run-off and pollution, as well as more severe cyclones and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, are just some of the threats creating a perfect storm for our reef and the iconic animals that depend on it.

How is tourism threatening the Great Barrier Reef?

How Tourism Threatens Corals. When tourists accidently touch, pollute or break off parts of the reef, corals experience stress. The coral organisms try to fight off the intrusion, but this process often leads to coral bleaching—when corals expel the brightly colored algae that live in them and become completely white.

What are the threats to the Barrier reef?

Local Threats to Coral Reefs Coral reefs face many threats from local sources, including: Physical damage or destruction from coastal development, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and gear, boat anchors and groundings, and recreational misuse (touching or removing corals).

What is the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef?

Climate change is the single biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef, as it is to many ecosystems around the world. The cumulative impact of climate change, land run-off and other threats is testing the ability of the Reef to recover from major disturbances.

Whats killing the Great Barrier Reef?

According to the GBRMPA in 2014, the most significant threat to the status of the Great Barrier Reef is climate change, due to the consequential rise of sea temperatures, gradual ocean acidification and an increase in the number of “intense weather events”.

What is polluting the Great Barrier Reef?

Chemical pollution When inefficient fertiliser is applied to crops, like sugar cane, excess fertiliser washes into rivers and waterways, where it is carried out to the Great Barrier Reef. Nitrogen from these fertilisers are linked to harmful algal blooms, which is a food source for juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish.

What are the negative impacts of tourism?

Tourism often puts pressure on natural resources through over-consumption, often in places where resources are already scarce. Tourism puts enormous stress on local land use, and can lead to soil erosion, increased pollution, natural habitat loss, and more pressure on endangered species.

Is Great Barrier Reef dead?

In 2020, a study found that the Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its corals since 1995 due to warmer seas driven by climate change. As global warming continues, corals will not be able to keep up with increasing ocean temperatures.

Why is the Great Barrier Reef suffering?

The reef has suffered significantly from coral bleaching caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The previous bleaching damaged two-thirds of the coral.

How is plastic affecting the Great Barrier Reef?

Plastic litter is an increasing threat to the Reef. More than 80 per cent of marine debris found in the Reef is plastic, which can break up into smaller pieces and travel vast distances, increasing the risk of impacts.

How does plastic pollution effect the Great Barrier Reef?

Reefs wrapped in plastic It’s even worse once coral is entirely draped in plastic, causing the risk of coral disease to surge by a staggering 20-fold, the research also found. The Great Barrier Reef is under threat from plastic waste. The Great Barrier Reef is under threat from plastic waste.