The Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s most magnificent natural wonders, has been subjected to intense scrutiny. It covers an area of approximately 133,000 m2; This is larger than the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Netherlands combined. But in recent years it has received less attention for its richness, color and wonder, and more for its “dying” or “dead” nature.
Competing claims suggest, on the one hand, that you should see the reef before it’s too late (a 2017 study published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism claimed that 69 percent of visitors to the Reef were motivated by “last chance tourism”), and on the other He said it would be irresponsible or unethical to visit.
However, one thing that is often not realized is that only 7 percent of this large area is used for tourism. Nor do we often hear that operators (each with a designated dive site) have not been issued new licenses since 1997, or that visitor numbers have been carefully managed.
That doesn’t mean Reef isn’t in trouble. Rising sea temperatures and repeated bleaching events have had a devastating impact, including severe storms and outbreaks of predatory crown-of-thorns starfish that feed on coral polyps.
Cairns is Tropical North Queensland’s “Gateway to the Reef” and most dive sites take around 90 minutes to reach. The journey was brought to me by Dr. Dr., founder of the Passions of Paradise catamaran. It gave Alan Wallish enough time to ask his thoughts on the future of the reef. He has been operating here for 30 years and his love and knowledge of the underwater realm is evident, as is his desire to preserve and restore it.
Our timing was unfortunate in a way; the other is perfect. “My phone has been ringing all day,” he said regretfully. On the day of our trip, another mass coral bleaching event (the fifth since 2016) had been reported by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
“This will be the headline that news outlets will run,” he said, “but there is a real need to counter the negative information with the other facts of the situation.”
An example of this? I had always assumed that bleached coral was dead coral; but this is not so. “When temperatures rise, corals become stressed and respond by expelling the algae that give it color,” Wallish said. “They can bounce back if temperatures drop (as you would expect after summer), and they have done that time and time again.” Coral, as delicate and otherworldly as it appears, is or can be surprisingly durable. In fact, according to Reef Restoration Foundation CEO Ryan Donnelly, coral fragments “are getting stronger as all corals have a natural ability to adapt.”
In 1997, as part of the Federal Government’s $15.1 million Tourism Reef Conservation initiative, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority launched Eye on the Reef, a citizen science program. Passions of Paradise originally offered this reef tour experience as a once-a-week add-on only, but thanks to demand from snorkelers and divers, it now operates daily.
Accompanied by a “Reef Master Guide”, equipped with a waterproof clipboard and stylus, I descended into a vibrant but silent world and began conducting research, the results of which would be sent to a central hub and combined with the observations of other underwater explorers. .
We counted fish as well as corals; If the latter were not in a reasonable state, the former would not perform its quicksilver dances in such colorful clouds. Unprepossessing as they are, the mere presence of sea cucumbers is reassuring: Dubbed “sea porters,” these cucumbers play a vital role in reef health.
Yet the crowds are huge at Cairns’ Marlin Marina. The sheer number of boats waiting to welcome visitors on board seems unsustainable. In an environment where overtourism threatens the beauty and even existence of some destinations, it is no surprise that reef tourism is a cause for concern.
Every tourist pays a “reef tax” on exploration costs; these funds are intended for revegetation and research. In addition, as I discovered on my last visit, many of the operators are strong not only in their fight for the health and restoration of the Great Barrier Reef, but also in their commitment to raising awareness of its resilience.
Many ships have received eco-certification and also received the expected warnings not to touch, lift or clumsily kick coral. On the ship, we listened to educational talks about reef health and conservation. Of course, there was no such thing on the dive ship and drinking trip I went on a long time ago.
When news of bleaching first hit the headlines, I learned that there are limits to what is observed. Not to be confused with Eye on the Reef, the surveys are conducted by trained observers rather than citizen scientists, but initial aerial observations reveal only the top corals in the warmest waters.
In addition, the vast majority of visitors to the Reef will witness this via a glass-bottom boat (locally known as a “glassy”) or snorkelling, so the risk of downside is even greater. Diving to 18 meters, the maximum allowed with the Padi Open Water certification, or 30 meters as an Advanced Diver, gives a more colorful perspective.
“Professional photos in magazines are extraordinarily vivid,” explained the crew on a Sailway cruise from Port Douglas, “but what is rarely noticed is the use of huge underwater lights that make the sea and corals appear brighter – and this was true even before photoshop. “Combined with ‘state of emergency’ reporting, it sets unrealistic expectations that risk keeping people away.”
I cannot stress this enough: like every reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef is in trouble, and what makes this even more troubling is that it exists side by side with the heavily protected World Heritage Site of the Daintree. Rain forest. It is devastating to think that such a large (roughly 463 m2) CO2 gap is not enough to stop acidification; Someone who has never visited the Reef, and perhaps never has, will have an impact on their health in a way that someone who visits the Reef responsibly cannot.
Fundamentals
Sarah Rodrigues was a guest of Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Tourism Australia.
Luxury operator yazenove+loyd offers bespoke trips to Tropical North Queensland, with eight nights’ accommodation at Shangri-La Cairns and Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas including transfers, local guides and a Great Barrier Reef excursion from £3,000 per person . Flights with Singapore Airlines start from £919.
The Passions of Paradise Great Barrier Reef tour and Marine Biologist for a Day program costs $410/£213 for snorkelers and $510/£265 for divers, including two dives.