UNESCO said Thursday its World Heritage Committee (WHC) had decided not to place the Great Barrier Reef on its list of sites “in danger” despite concern over coral bleaching. A WHC spokesperson said the Committee, which is meeting in Poland, had made the decision late Wednesday and expressed “deep concern” over two years of back-to-back … Read more
Australia’s under-pressure Great Barrier Reef is an asset worth Aus$56 billion (US$42 billion) and as an ecosystem and economic driver is “too big to fail”, a study said Monday. The World Heritage-listed reef is the largest living structure on Earth and its economic and social value was calculated for the first time in the Deloitte … Read more
The Great Barrier Reef can no longer be saved in its present form and is damaged beyond repair, scientists have warned. They say coral bleaching in the area is worse than thought, partly because of the ‘extraordinary rapidity’ of global warming. Instead, scientists should be taken to maintain the World Heritage Site’s ‘ecological function’. The … Read more
Coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is worse than first thought and the impact will accelerate unless global greenhouse gas emissions are cut, scientists said Monday. The 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) World Heritage-listed reef suffered its most severe bleaching on record last year due to warming sea temperatures during March and April. Initial aerial and in-water … Read more
Coral-munching crown-of-thorns starfish can be safely killed by common household vinegar, scientists revealed Thursday in a discovery that offers hope for Australia’s struggling Great Barrier Reef. The predatory starfish is naturally-occurring but has proliferated due to pollution and run-off at the World Heritage-listed ecosystem, which is also reeling from two consecutive years of mass coral … Read more
Mass coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could cost the region more than a million tourists a year and up to Aus$1.0 billion (US$760 million) in lost revenue, a study warned Wednesday. Scientists said this week that coral bleached for two consecutive years at the World Heritage-listed site had “zero prospect” of recovery after … Read more
The beast goes by the Latin monicker of Acanthaster planci, but it is known to us as the crown-of-thorns — a venomous starfish that is ravaging our precious coral reefs. One of many threats to coral, the large, spine-studded species — named after the diadem of thorns set on Jesus’ head — is capable of … Read more
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing an unprecedented second straight year of mass coral bleaching, scientists said Friday, warning many species would struggle to fully recover. The 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) reef suffered its most severe bleaching on record last year due to warming sea temperatures during March and April. Bleaching is once again occurring, the government’s … Read more
The Great Barrier Reef could be struck by its worst-ever blast of coral bleaching as early as this year, experts have warned. Sea temperatures around the reef near Queensland, Australia, have reached a year-long high, putting coral at risk of extreme heat stress, according to a UN report. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority … Read more