Can money save the Great Barrier Reef?

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF is one of the world’s most intricate and beautiful natural wonders.

Global warming has caused sea temperatures to rise rapidly, leading to the bleaching of 67 percent of shallow water corals along a 700-kilometer stretch.

While bleaching has devastating effects on corals, just like badly bleached hair, it is salvageable with plenty of love, care and often a lot of money spent on saving it.

And this is what the Australian government have vowed to do.

Marine heatwaves have a profound and devastating effect on coral reefs. Coral (#anthozoa) are not plants, but animals that live together with marine algae (#zooxanthellae) which provide essential nutrients through photosynthesis. Whenever water temperature rises for 3-4C weeks, eg. 2 degrees during 2 weeks, the algae break down, causing the coral to turn pale. Bleached corals, as in the picture during the 2016 great barrier reef heatwave, are nutrionally compromised and starve to death. Some heat sensitive coral species even collapse before bleaching occurs, all reported by coral expert professor Terry Hughes in this week’s Nature issue. He adds: “The most likely scenario is that coral reefs will continue to degrade over the current century until climate change stabilizes.” We are just seeing the initial phase of this process. Photo by Richard Vevers/XL Catlin SS/The Ocean Agency #coral #greatbarrierreef #scubadiving #australia #climatechange #marinebiology

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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the “largest ever single investment” in the Great Barrier Reef.

A staggering US$378 million, the equivalent of half-a-billion Australian dollars, is being plowed into improving water quality, irradicating problematic predators, and growing restoration efforts.

The water quality can be vastly improved by ensuring farm fertilizer doesn’t make its way into the ocean.

Restoration of the reef will involve meticulous coral transplants, hoping to inject life back into the once vibrant reef.

Epic day on the BARRIER REEF can you see the turtle we were following just above the giant clam. @sunloverreefcruises #greatbarrierreef #barrierreef #turtle #turtleswimming #crush #snorkeling #coral #lookingfornemo #snorkelinggreatbarrierreef #gbr #sealife #seeaustralia #queensland #qld #travellingaustralia #travellingaustraliawithkids #lapofoz #exploringoz #exploringqld #caravaningwithkids #travellingfamily #travellingkids #travellingaustralia #bestfamilyday

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Australia’s Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg told ABC the transplanted coral would be more resilient to heat stress and light stress.

As for the predators, the money will go toward culling crown-of-thorn starfish which are a natural but lethal predator to the coral.

The government has vowed to give the reef the best possible future.

However, scientists have warned the two successive heat waves in 2016 and 2017 have already killed nearly half the northern reef’s coral, and unless the government combines investment with a strong policy to rapidly reduce carbon pollution, the reef won’t stand a chance.

“…there’s a huge missing piece in the puzzle and that is a dramatically significant response to climate change,” Imogen Zethoven of the Australian Marine Conservation Society told ABC.

Every #heart must be at the right place ❤️????? #heartful_moments in #australia #heartreef #flyin #freedomday #greatbarrierreef #travelholic #nofilterneeded ???

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“The reality is, hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars have gone into reef rescue packages for nearly 20 years to deal with poor water quality. Yet we’ve had very little gain, so it’s extremely important that this time around the money is spent properly and we start to see the tide turning,” she added.

The Great Barrier Reef also contributes A$6.4 billion to the economy and provides 64,000 jobs.

There’s a lot riding on this huge investment and while the government seem hopeful, scientists maintain a conscious effort on both local and global scales must be made to reverse climate change, in order to save the Great Barrier Reef and many others in a similar state.

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Source: travelwireasia.com