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The Great Barrier Reef is one of the largest ecosystems on the planet, rivaling the Amazon Rainforest and the Sahara desert. It is so large that you can see the reef from the International Space Station. It is difficult to fathom that something that large can be significantly damaged by a creature as small as a starfish. That’s right, one of the main reasons that significant expanses of coral in The Great Barrier Reef get damaged is the Crown of Thorns Starfish.

According to The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, are nocturnal by nature and move at speeds up to 20 meters an hour. They prey on nearly all species of coral and one Crown of Thorns Starfish can eat through 10 square meters of coral per year. Not only do the Crown of Thorns Starfish eat coral, they intoxicate it as well. The Crown of Thorns Starfish is covered in spikes that contain toxins that are venomous to both humans and marine creatures. The number of Crown of Thorns Starfish in the reef are usually miniscule, but every couple of years an outbreak occurs. When an outbreak occurs, approximately 15 Crown of Thorns Starfish are found in every hectare area. There are approximately 35 million hectares in the Great Barrier Reef. That means that every outbreak, approximately 525 million Crown of Thorns Starfish are feeding on coral in the Great Barrier reef. During these outbreaks the 525 million Crown of Thorns Starfish can collectively strip around 90% of the reef’s living coral tissue.

These Crown of Thorns Starfish outbreaks do not occur on a strict cycle like Cicada swarms (which occur every 17 years). According to The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the starfish outbreaks occur when people overfish. The most notable predators of the Crown of Thorns Starfish being the trigger fish. When overfishing occurs, a number of species of fish, including the trigger fish, in The Great Barrier Reef decreases. The overfishing and subsequent removal of the Crown of Thorns Starfish’s natural predator from the ecosystem create an environment for many starfish to prey on coral without the fear of being attacked.

This is a significant problem not just for the coral, but for the rest of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. A majority of the the smaller marine life such as fish, crustaceans, and molluscs rely on the coral for shelter. So, if the coral they use as shelter is dead because Crown of Thorns Starfishes eat and intoxicate their coral, a significant percentage of marine life will be dangerously exposed to predators.

In order to counteract the Crown of Thorns Starfish and mitigate the damage it causes, the Australian government has begun to organize patrols across The Great Barrier reef to observe and keep an eye on the Crown of Thorns Starfish. According to barrierreef.org, over 160 coral reefs in The Great Barrier Reef are being monitored and over 70,000 Crown of Thorns Starfish have been culled (selectively slaughtered). Not only has the government organized patrols, they have also invested significant resources towards keeping the Crown of Thorns Starfish in check. According to the same article, the Australian government approximately $58 million dollars into a Crown of Thorns Starfish control fund. This fund is not only finances the patrols that slaughter the starfish, it also funds innovative researchers that are trying to discover ways to stop the Crown of Thorns Starfish from feasting on the coral, without killing them.

The Australian government has made the Crown of Thorns Starfish a priority as well. By investing into the prevention and extermination of the Crown of Thorns Starfish, the Australian government has committed to the protection and longevity of The Great Barrier Reef. This problem is being well counteracted by the government, so the effectiveness of the Crown of Thorns Starfish hinges on what average citizens do.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish is one of the most underestimated dangers to The Great Barrier Reef. A starfish is so unassuming and seemingly innocent. They prey on the coral throughout the reef, taking away the shelter of countless marine species in the reef, which leaves them vulnerable. It is also worth noting that the Crown of Thorns Starfish would not be nearly as damaging to the reef if people didn’t help them by overfishing and removing their predators from the reef. This problem may seem unsolvable due to the fact that a member of The Great Barrier Reef ecosystem is damaging the reef, but citizens can help mitigate the Crown of Thorns Starfish’s affect of the reef by not overfishing.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s seven wonders. The Great Barrier Reef is home to the most diverse range of sea creatures in the world. Everything from fish, to dolphins, to whales, to sharks call the Great Barrier Reef home. Unfortunately, this beautiful spectacle of oceanography will not be around that much longer. This is because the Great Barrier Reef is dying. There are many reasons as to why this is occurring, but one of the most prominent and disconcerting reasons is overfishing. That is right, one of the major reasons that the Great Barrier Reef is in such a precarious position today is manmade and completely controllable by both individuals and the Australian Government. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to enact any real change to counteract this problem because fishing is such a lucrative industry in Australia.

According to The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, there are currently 1,625 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. This same source confirms that there are more than 3,000 species of shells (clams, muscles, etc.), 630 species of echinoderm (urchin and starfish), and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles all living in the Great Barrier Reef. This source also verifies that there are 133 species of sharks and rays that call the Great Barrier Reef home. Due to the problem of overfishing the Great Barrier Reef, every single one of these species of animals is put at risk. That is insane right, according to this government data base, approximately 5,394 species of aquatic animals is susceptible to overfishing.

Many people may say that the rapid fishing of these animals on the Great Barrier Reef is not that big of a deal. I would completely understand if you held this belief. In today’s society, most people see fishing as a luxury sport that one does in their free time. And while this is true, it is not always the case in countries like Australia. Because of Australia’s geography (The uncontrollable fact that the country of Australia is entirely surrounded by water. It is the only country that is an island.) fishing is one of the most lucrative industries in the nation. According to The Australian Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment and The Fishery Status Report of 2021 (Yes. That is a thing.), fisheries assessed by the status report in 2018 – 2019 generated an estimated gross value of production of $438 million. And this insanely large amount of money is only 28% of Australia’s total wild-catch gross value of production, which clock in at $1.6 billion. To put it in laymen’s terms, the total value of domestic fish sales is $438 million, while the total value of wild-catch fishing (including exporting fish) in Australia overall is $1.6 billion.

Clearly, the Australian government does not want to take any action that would put their billion dollar source of income in jeopardy (Who would?). Despite this, many fisherman have begun to take a vocal stand against over-fishing because they have begun to realize that their unsustainable fishing is having untold negative consequences on the Great Barrier Reef. These fishermen are also beginning to notice that certain marine species becoming endangered due to their non-stop fishing. Thanks to the protests and outrage of these fishermen, quiet steps have been take to restrict unsustainable fishing in and around the Great Barrier Reef. According to The Guardian, the first real steps were finally taken toward counteracting the problem of overfishing in 2020, when The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority quietly released its first broad position statement on fishing in late August of that year. Unfortunately, a position statement is all that The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is at liberty to publish due to the fact that actual laws and regulations must be laid out by the Queensland government.

According to the same article, attempts to counteract overfishing in the Great Barrier reef have been made by the Queensland government as well. The most notable attempt being the Queensland State Government’s 10 year sustainable fisheries strategy that theoretically would have effectively eliminated overfishing by the year 2027. Sadly, The Marine Conservation Society reported that this sustainable fisheries strategy has recently grounded to a halt.

Overfishing is one of The Great Barrier Reef’s most immanent dangers. This crusade of unsustainable fishing in and around The Great Barrier Reef is driving many species of fish, shark, and crustaceans to extinction. This would be detrimental to The Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem, leaving the reef vulnerable to further damage and decay. And sadly, this very controllable issue has not been counteracted due to the billions of dollars that fishing brings to Australia’s economy. It boils down to this: Overfishing is a major reason as to why the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem is dying, but no one will do anything about it because of money.

There are many reasons why The Great Barrier Reef is dying. Many of these causes are manmade dilemmas, such as climate change as well as the ramped mining and distribution of coal. These problems, although sustained by Australians’ everyday activity, can be fixed with key lifestyle changes and new legislation. However, there are other reasons why the reef is dying that are not as easy to fix. One of these causes is the increase in urban development along the coastlines of Australia.

According to australia.gov.au, nearly 20% of the continent of Australia is considered desert. This desert is located in the center of the country, making the middle of the country extremely difficult to live in due to the harsh desert conditions. Because the central portion of the nation is so undesirable, all of the major cities in Australia were developed along the coastlines, especially in the states of Queensland and New South Wales (examples of major cities in these states are Brisbane and Sydney respectively).

In order to fully drive this point home, let me give you guys an example of the population disparity between Central Australia and Coastal Australia. Alice Springs is the largest city in central Australia and it has a population of 25,186 people. On the other hand, Sydney (which is situated on the East coast of Australia) has a population of approximately 5.31 million people and Brisbane (which is situated on the West coast of Australia) has a population of approximately 2.28 million people.

Unfortunately, as these major cities began to expand in order to accommodate a growing infrastructure, it began to impede and encroach on the coastlines as well as the marine organisms and ecosystems that lived in or near the coastlines.

(The image above shows the city of Alice Springs, Central Australia in its entirety)

(The picture above shows the Gold Coast, a coastal city in Southeast Queensland, Australia)

This main reason there has been such a stark increase in urban development along the Australian coasts is population growth. According to the Australian institute for Health and Welfare, the total population of Australia has increased at a rate of 1.4% a year since 1990. In 1990, the total population was approximately 17.1 million people and as of 2020, that number has risen to approximately 25.7 million people. This may not seem that drastic compared to other countries such as India, Russia, and The United States. But, as I previously mentioned, basically the entirety of Central Australia is desert, meaning that all 25.7 million people have to pack themselves into the coastlines of the country. A byproduct of this stark population growth in coastal areas is a rapidly increasing demand for services such as road paving, water pipe installations, sewage pipe installations, as well as power and electrical hookups. These services (especially sewage control) contaminates the Great Barrier Reef that sits just a couple of miles away from the coast, making it difficult for coral and other marine life to survive. These services are not the only aspects of development that is affecting The Great Barrier Reef. The construction of large hotels, apartments, and condos right along the coast not only emits greenhouse gasses that sustains global warming (see CI Post #1 on Climate Change and how it kills the Great Barrier Reef), but runoff of materials from the construction sites wash into the ocean and eventually finds its way to the Great Barrier Reef where they take part in the decaying process of the Great Barrier Reef.

Unfortunately for the well being of the Great Barrier Reef, these construction projects and services that are harmful to the Great Barrier Reef are never going to stop because they are necessary if these cities want to be able to accommodate the increase in population. Unlike the previous problems we have discussed in the blog, there is no simple fix. Its not like the Australia government can control the population of Australia (nor should they).

This cause of the slowly decaying Great Barrier Reef occurs because of factors that are completely uncontrollable: population growth and geography. There has been a steady growth in the population of the country of Australia which has rushed to the coast because of the colossal desert in the center of the continent. These densely populated coastlines come with many construction sites for residential areas, as well as many services such as sewage management that contaminate the Great Barrier Reef. The simple fact is that the population growth of Australia is slowly killing the Great Barrier Reef and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

The Great Barrier Reef, although enormous in stature and full of captivating wildlife, is rapidly declining. Last week I focused on a naturally occurring reason for the shocking decline of the worlds largest underwater ecosystem. This post will be focusing on a manmade reason for the imminent death of The Great Barrier Reef. That reason is coal.

It has been a long time since fossil fuels such as coal have been considered a serious problem. Over the past couple of decades the world has invented new and inventive ecofriendly ways to transport and manufacture goods and services. However, society has not completely moved away from the use of fossil fuels. Certain countries, including Australia continue to approve the mining and implementation of coal. These “dirty” energy sources leave a negative footprint, which factors into global warming and climate change, which is the topic that I highlighted in my last post.

The implications that these coal mines have on climate change (which in turn impacts the waters of The Great Barrier Reef) is astronomical. As I pointed out in my last post, according to The Guardian, Australia has the highest greenhouse gas emissions from coal power in the entire world. And Greenpeace.org, says that this number is continuing to grow. According to this source, the government of Queensland, Australia is continuing to support coal mines and ports by approving a new coal mine. This is not just any mine, this is a “megamine”. The Queensland Labor Party approved a project named Adani’s Carmichael Megamine. This mine, when finished, will be the largest mine in the entire country of Australia. It will have a footprint that is ten times larger than the city of Sydney, Australia and consume an Olympic size swimming pool of water every two hours. This mine will not only destroy the climate surrounding the coast of Queensland, but it will significantly deplete the water that is directly above and around the reef.

(Image above shows a coal mine on the coast of The Great Barrier Reef)

Another negative aspect of the increase in coal mining is the shipping and distribution of said coal. The only way Australia can efficiently export the ungodly amounts of coal they produce in a way that economically feasible is via ships. These ships run off of fossil fuels, specifically coal. This creates a cycle that is disastrous for The Great barrier Reef. The Australian government manufactures the coal on the coast of The Great Barrier Reef. This coal is mined with supermines that are terrible for the climate and it is then shipped around the world on ships run by coal that must pass over The Great Barrier Reef in order to enter international waters. Because the coal is transported on ships that emit fossil fuels, the waters of The Great Barrier Reef will continue to be poisoned and polluted as long as the country considers coal a viable resource.

Yet another problem for The Great Barrier Reef due the coal manufacturing industry is the dredging. Coal companies have begun to realize that the quickest shipping routes to Asia and the Southeast Asian Island chain is right through the Great Barrier Reef. Because of this, these coal companies have begun to draft plans to dredge nearby areas. This would be unquestionably catastrophic for all of the marine life and coral will either be killed or displaced. Dredging in and around the Great Barrier Reef is a surefire way to significantly damage, if not completely kill parts of The Great Barrier Reef. Another complication arise for the reef when we consider where companies will dump the waste they dig up. Originally, they were going to dump it directly into the ocean (essentially right on top of the reef). Thankfully, that plan was shot down and they are now considering dumping the waste into nearby wetlands. this will spare The Great Barrier Reef from significant pollution, but it condemns the bays and coastal ecosystems. 

The mining of coal is, in itself, a very damaging endeavor for the climate and the surrounding ecosystems. But, many people fail to realize how the entire process from mining to shipping coal negatively impacts the surrounding environment. The ships used to transport coal along trade routes emit toxins created by engines that run off of coal, which are very unhealthy for The Great Barrier Reef. And those easily accessible trade routes are created by dredging, which dumps waste on top of The Great Barrier Reef. In this post, I have laid out in detail how each step of the coal industry (mining, creating trade routs, and transportation) negatively impacts The Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef. It is one of the most majestic ecosystems on planet earth, and it is dying. Before we dive into things, I should provide you with some background knowledge. The Great Barrier Reef is commonly referred to as one of the seven wonders of the world. The reef is off the coast of Queensland, Australia and measures 1,429 miles over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles according to National Ocean Service Data. It consists of nearly 3,000 individual reefs. These metrics make The Great Barrier Reef the world’s largest coral reef. In fact, The Great Barrier Reef is so big that it can be seen from the International Space Station.

The idea that something that big is dying can be hard to wrap your head around. However, if we examine the causes and the missteps that have led to this moment, you will begin to realize that the decay of the Great Barrier Reef is not as shocking as it seems.

The most dangerous cause of the decaying Great Barrier Reef, and the one that I will be highlighting in today’s post, is climate change. The sharp increase in greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, as well as the rest of the world, can be directly linked to the decaying of the Great Barrier Reef. This has been common knowledge for the better part of two decades, yet greenhouse gas emissions are still increasing in Australia. According to The Guardian, Australia has the highest greenhouse gas emissions from coal power in the entire world. 

This overuse of fossil fuels and increase in greenhouse emissions leads to an increase in temperature. And unfortunately, this increase in temperature has been devastating for the Great Barrier Reef. That is because these rising temperatures leads to a phenomena called coral bleaching. In order to fully understand what bleaching is and how catastrophic it can be, I need to give you a quick biology crash course. According to The Great Barrier reef Foundation, bleaching is a direct result of a lack of an algae called zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is an algae that grows inside a coral’s polyps tissue. This algae gives the coral its vibrant and bright color. More importantly, this algae removes waste from the coral and uses it to produce nourishment in a process called photosynthesis. When corals gets stressed, they expel large amounts of zooxanthellae. This deficiency in zooxanthellae weakens the coral and makes it loose color, turning the coral transparent and revealing their skeletons. The bleaching itself doesn’t kill the coral, but it puts the coral at a much higher risk of starvation and disease. And since this bleaching is occurring at such a large scale, starvation has run ramped and despise has spread from coral to coral like an epidemic.

Not only are these bleaching events crippling the fully grown coral (as depicted above), but bleaching events also affect young and maturing coral. According to BBC News, damaged younger coral is struggling to regenerate due to the fact that most of the adult coral has died. A coral population consists of millions of small and infant coral as well as a significant number of adult coral. These coral of all ages work harmoniously in order to keep the population thriving. However, due to the fact that a majority of the adult coral is dead because of bleaching, there is no breeding. This means that the creation of new coral slows down significantly, and sometimes stops altogether. This lack of breeding leaves the younger coral extremally vulnerable.

Coral bleaching is catastrophic for coral of all ages and breeds. Coral bleaching not only robs the coral of its bright and vibrant color, but it also starves them and leaves the coral highly susceptible to disease. The bleaching events also inhibit and sometimes altogether halt adult coral from breeding, which in turn leaves the younger coral exceptionally vulnerable. With all of these dire consequences, it is safe to assume that coral bleaching is a major cause of the slow but steady decaying if The Great Barrier Reef. And coral bleaching is a direct effect of rising ocean temperatures. Australia’s overuse of fossil fuels, especially coal, leads to significant climate change in and around the country. This climate change has caused the ocean temperatures on the coasts of Australia to increase. Since the Great barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland (In the “hot zone” for all intensive purposes), the rising ocean temperatures are significantly crippling and killing the coral due to coral bleaching caused by those increased sea temperatures.