The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) is located along the north-eastern cost of Australia, extending for 2,200 km and covering a total area of 347,800 km2 (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority [GBRMPA] 2012, ¶. 8). This area is abundant in biological diversity with over 6,000 unique species making it a World Heritage Area listing given the site’s major historical, environmental and economic significance (Australian Government Department of the Environment [AGDotE] 2014, ¶. 1). The GBRMP contains three main areas: the inter-reefal area, the continental shelf and the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon, making it the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem (GBRMPA 2012, ¶. 8).
The ecological and geophysical elements that contributed to the modern…show more content… Additionally, the increasing threat from the crown-of-thorns starfish has raised national and global concerns for the GBR’s welfare and conservation. These concerns aimed not only to protect biological diversity but also economic resources resulting from tourism and fishing linking regional, national and global economies. In response, the Commonwealth Government passed legislation in 1975 to establish the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act that, in turn, formed the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). This allowed not only the Queensland Government to manage the area, but also the Australian Government to manage the GBR through the GBRMPA.
The GBRMPA was instilled jurisdiction over an area 347,800 km2 along the north-east coast of Australia (Lawrence, Kenchington & Woodley 2002, pp. 2-3). Further, environmental protections were introduced covering the entire ecosystem of the GBRMP through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listing the area as ‘World Heritage’ in 1981 (UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2014, ¶.…show more content… Indigenous Australians were the first human inhabitants in the GBR area and the current Indigenous Australians still hold cultural and heritage connections to the area. The first European explorer was Captain James Cook and the area continues to be explored by others with completion of geographical mapping by the 1970s. European settlement brought environmental changes to the GBR, which eventually raised national and global concerns for the health of the GBR in the 1970s and 1980s with the establishment of the GBRMPA and the listing of the area as World Heritage. While government and international organisations have made progress in conservation efforts, there still remain complex issues impacting on the GBR’s survival, including human activity and invasive marine life. The most recent threat to the health of the GBR is from the controversial expansion and dredging of the Abbot Point Coal Port. The Australian Government has conducted a strategic assessment into the port’s predicted effects on the GBR before making approvals. The GBR is a place of great significance and Australians should prevent further decline to its
