Environmental Issues In The Great Barrier Reef

The tourism industry is not the only business which has created negative environmental effects on the reef. The spark of industrialization led to massive issues on the environment due to the release of harmful substances and the mass production of goods, which leads to the depletion of natural resources. This is certainly visible in the Great Barrier Reef and the large industries which conduct work there. Environmental problems directly resulting from these giant businesses mainly include mass pollution in the form of sediment runoff, harmful chemicals from pesticides and herbicides, and toxic waste (Productivity Commission). “Post-European land use has very significantly altered and in many cases caused significant damage to rivers or loss

Chemical runoffs from industrialised areas and the dumping toxic waste from mining industries contribute to the declining water quality, which “has had clear detrimental impacts on freshwater aquatic systems” (Productivity Commission). Other actions which diminish the water quality are due to farming practices from sugarcane and beef production industries (Productivity Commission). Overuse of soil and harsh land clearance techniques contribute to greater erosion and sedimentary runoff (Productivity Commission). Furthermore, the erosion sweeps certain dangerous pesticides and herbicides into the sea (Haynes, Müller, and Carter). More specifically, pesticides and herbicides containing organochlorine compounds which flow into the ocean water “ raises the potential for continued long-term chronic exposure to plants and animals of the Great Barrier Reef” (Haynes, Müller, and Carter). These toxic chemicals lower the water quality and therefore, slowly turn the ecosystem into a dangerous environment for all of the organisms which reside in

If climate change, overfishing, and pollution worsens, then the entire ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef will be in critical danger. “Given the central importance of reef-building corals, reductions in the abundance and diversity of reef-building corals are likely to have major influences on the majority of other coral reef organisms” (Hoegh-Guldberg). Considering its size, how biodiverse it is, and the cultural significance of it from indigenous people, the Great Barrier Reef is an extremely important ecosystem which needs to be protected. Furthermore, due to the abundance of businesses and the large tourism industry, the destruction of the reef can cost trillions of dollars for the Australian government. These reasons have led to widely published findings of the reef and its critical condition and many organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, have made efforts to prevent the destruction of the reef. Some examples of relief efforts include the Reef 2050 Plan, which aims to create extensive measures to protect the World Heritage Site for 35 years after its implementation in the March of 2015 (The Reef 2050 Plan). There have also been multiple volunteer organizations consisting of the local communities by the reef which conduct clean-up activities and intend on preserving its natural beauty (Hartley). Although it is impossible to accurately predict the future of the Great Barrier Reef, awareness