LEARN ALL ABOUT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
What makes the Reef so Great?
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world! It is SO big it is one of the 7 natural wonders, is bigger than the Great Wall of China AND is it the only living thing on Earth visible from space! Making it the biggest living structure on the planet!
It also makes up about 10 per cent of the world's coral reef ecosystems, and is one of the best known and most complex natural systems on Earth!
This natural wonder is located off the Queensland coast and covers 344,400 km2 in area which is so big it could fit 70 million football fields inside the marine park!
It is composed of 3000 individual reef systems, 760 fringe reefs, 980 individual islands and about 300 coral cays, and that not even including the other animals yet!
The Reef has an average depth of 35 metres in its inshore waters, while on outer reefs, continental slopes extend down to depths of more than 2000 metres
So How Did it Become The Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was created in 1975 through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act which has created an authority responsible for management of the Marine Park and prevented harmful acts such as mining to take place within the Reef.
The Reef is also a prized World Heritage Area and received this title in 1981, making it the first coral reef ecosystem in the world to have this distinction!
The Great Barrier Reef is World Heritage Listed due to its outstanding universal value and cultural and natural significance by containing Earth's evolutionary history, ongoing geological processes, rare and natural formations as well as housing endangered species.
Cultural Significance
The Great Barrier Reef is considered the sea country home for the first Australians whose connections to the marine environment date back more than 60,000 years and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef region.
There are more than 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owner clan groups that maintain heritage values for their land and sea country. These values may be cultural, spiritual, economic, social or physical, and demonstrate continuing connections with the Great Barrier Reef and its natural resources.
Their traditional cultural practices and knowledge of marine resource use is under increasing pressure from the activities of modern day society in both remote and urban areas.
What Lives in The Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a stunning array of animals, from microscopic plankton to whales weighing more than 100 tonnes. The Reef supports:
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1625 species of fish
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1400 coral reef species
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215 species of birds
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Six of the world's seven species of marine turtle
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More than 3000 species of molluscs. This group includes clams, oysters, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, nautilus, nudibranchs, chitons and snails.
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630 species of echinoderm (starfish, sea urchins)
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30 species of whales and dolphins
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One of the world's most important dugong populations
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133 species of sharks and rays
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1300 species of crustaceans
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14 breeding species of sea snakes
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Around 40 species of sea anenome
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More than 100 species of Jellyfish
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Around 30 per cent of Australia's sponge species
To check out more about how these creature are in danger and how to help click here to learn more!
To find out more about some of these animals and what they look like click below or head over to the gallery page!
Tourism
Because of its natural beauty, both below and above the water’s surface, the reef has become one of the worlds most sought after tourist destinations.
The Great Barrier Reef is an economic powerhouse, contributing more than $6.4 billion each year to the Australian economy and around 64,000 full-time jobs.
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Some of the experiences people partake in at the Reef include:
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Tours - includeing day, night, overnight and even from an aircraft like a helicopeter
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Snorkelling and Scuba Diving
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Water Sports
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Whale Watching
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Swimming with Dolphins
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and even Sky Diving!
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What would you want to do?
