Environmentalist

Great Barrier Reef

Environmentalist

The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of . Queensland. It is the largest coral reef on Earth. The Reef is one of the worlds most treasured wonders in the world.

It is wonderful natural environment that is home to a huge amount of flora and fauna, lots of which endangered. Humans have created some built features that allow humans to use the Great Barrier Reef without causing much damage.

Significance

The Great Barrier Reef is a significant Australian environment. It is a coral reef which means it has an incredible connected system of plants and animals. The Reef provides habitats and food for thousands of different plants and animals. Many of these species are endangered.

The Great Barrier Reef also protects the coast of Australia from any large and powerful waves that might damage our cities. It can also protect the coast of Queensland from big tropical storms. The Reef provides a protective barrier between the deepest oceans and the coast of Australia. It acts like a shield to fight against large waves, storms and floods. This means the Reef helps protect against cities being damaged and the loss of peoples lives.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most natural, beautiful environments the world has to offer. That is why it is listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is also the worlds largest formation created by living things.

Why is this environment significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef area. Their connections to the sea go back over 60,000 years.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have strong connections with the Reef in a cultural, spiritual, economic and social way. There are over 70 Aboriginal tribes that owned the land surrounding the Great Barrier Reef. They hold an incredible amount of knowledge about the Reef, what is has to offer and how to protect it.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have many Dreamtime stories that are expressed through song and dance that are focused on the Great Barrier Reef. There are many sacred and ceremonial sites along the Great Barrier Reef dating back thousands of years.

Today, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are focused on protecting the Great Barrier Reef that they call their Sea Country.

Issues

Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef is disappearing at a very fast rate. In the last 30 years half the coral has disappeared.

The brightly coloured corals of the Reef are very quickly becoming white, this is called bleaching. This occurs when the ocean water is at higher temperatures for long periods of time. It is possible for coral to recover from bleaching but scientists have estimated that 50% of the coral that is currently white will die.

The water is also becoming dirtier caused by human pollution. Pollution is when humans are leaving harmful or poisonous materials in our environment.

The Crown of Thorn starfish is also a big killer in the Great Barrier Reef, although they are not killing any other animals, they are killing their own home! Scientists have said that these starfish have caused more than a third of the coral to die and not recover from the bleaching.

Caring for the environment

As a country, to care for the Great Barrier Reef we need to do many things.

The water we use everyday for everything eventually gets run off into our oceans. We can reduce the amount of water we use which will mean less water containing harmful substances will go into our oceans.

We can help reduce pollution rates. To do this we can walk or ride our bikes to school. Catching a bus will help too! By having less cars on the roads we can help reduce pollution levels.

When we visit the Great Barrier Reef we can help protect it even more! By making sure we do not throw any rubbish over the side of the boat into our water we can keep the waters clean. This means no poor sea creatures will get stuck in or eat our rubbish.

When visiting the Reef you can also participate in a coral clean up. This means you can scuba dive or snorkel and help clean up some of the plastic and rubbish that is in our oceans. By doing this you can save many animals and plants that call the Reef their home.

Can you think of more ways we can help protect and care for the Great Barrier Reef?

Why should getaway visit?

Now it is your turn! Why do you think Getaway will want to visit the Great Barrier Reef? Is it important they go here? Do you think the Getaway staff and all the viewers will enjoy it?

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Great Barrier Reef

Environmentalist

The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of . Queensland. It is the largest coral reef on Earth. The Reef is one of the worlds most treasured wonders in the world.

​

It is wonderful natural environment that is home to a huge amount of flora and fauna, lots of which endangered. Humans have created some built features that allow humans to use the Great Barrier Reef without causing much damage.

Significance

The Great Barrier Reef is a significant Australian environment. It is a coral reef which means it has an incredible connected system of plants and animals. The Reef provides habitats and food for thousands of different plants and animals. Many of these species are endangered.

​

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most natural, beautiful environments the world has to offer. That is why it is listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is also the worlds largest formation created by living things.

​

​

​

Why is this environment significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef area. Their connections to the sea go back over 60,000 years.

​

​

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have many Dreamtime stories that are expressed through song and dance that are focused on the Great Barrier Reef. There are many sacred and ceremonial sites along the Great Barrier Reef dating back thousands of years.

​

Today, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are focused on protecting the Great Barrier Reef that they call their Sea Country.

​

​

Issues

Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef is disappearing at a very fast rate. In the last 30 years half the coral has disappeared.

​

​

The water is also becoming dirtier caused by human pollution. Pollution is when humans are leaving harmful or poisonous materials in our environment.

​

The Crown of Thorn starfish is also a big killer in the Great Barrier Reef, although they are not killing any other animals, they are killing their own home! Scientists have said that these starfish have caused more than a third of the coral to die and not recover from the bleaching.

Caring for the environment

As a country, to care for the Great Barrier Reef we need to do many things.

The water we use everyday for everything eventually gets run off into our oceans. We can reduce the amount of water we use which will mean less water containing harmful substances will go into our oceans.

​

We can help reduce pollution rates. To do this we can walk or ride our bikes to school. Catching a bus will help too! By having less cars on the roads we can help reduce pollution levels.

​

When we visit the Great Barrier Reef we can help protect it even more! By making sure we do not throw any rubbish over the side of the boat into our water we can keep the waters clean. This means no poor sea creatures will get stuck in or eat our rubbish.

​

When visiting the Reef you can also participate in a coral clean up. This means you can scuba dive or snorkel and help clean up some of the plastic and rubbish that is in our oceans. By doing this you can save many animals and plants that call the Reef their home.

​

Can you think of more ways we can help protect and care for the Great Barrier Reef?

Why should getaway visit?

​

Now it is your turn! Why do you think Getaway will want to visit the Great Barrier Reef? Is it important they go here? Do you think the Getaway staff and all the viewers will enjoy it?

​

For more fun facts and photos