How the Australian Great Barrier Reef Succeeds at Preservation and Sustainable Use and How it Applies to a Worldwide Problem
Coral bleaching is a somewhat recent phenomenon that has prompted many communities and countries around the world to enact policies and legislation that deal with their dying coral reefs. In early 1998, a mass coral bleaching event took place on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, and broad scale aerial surveys confirmed that most of the inland reefs had experienced at least some bleaching (Lally 1999). The following analysis of the Great Barrier Reef will illustrate that a successful policy process must incorporate the people who live, work, and depend on the fragile environment into the decision-making about preservation policies, regardless of the method or policy tool chosen to do so. Effective management and policy tools must also carefully weigh both extractive and non-extractive uses - to not only preserve, but also sustain, the use of the coral reef ecosystem.
First, I will give some background information about why the Australian Reef is of importance and why dying reefs are a worldwide problem. I will then further explain the scientific background of what coral reefs are, what coral bleaching is, and the human activities and other factors that cause it. Second, I will further explain the issues involved with the policy process of preserving coral reefs, and which is the priority that stands above the rest. Third, I will explain who the actors are and what their roles are in the policy process. Fourth, I will define the instruments that are used to guide the policy process. Lastly, I will explain the lessons, outcomes and alternatives that exist in the policy process of preserving coral reef...
... middle of paper ...
...wan, R., N. Knowlton, A. Baker and J. Jara, "Landscape ecology of algal symbionts creates variation in episodes of coral bleaching," Nature, Vol. 388, No. 6639, p. 265-269, July 1997.
Warner, M.E., "The Effects of Light and Elevated Temperature on the Photosynthetic Physiology of Symbiotic Dinoflagellates: Potential Pathways To Coral Bleaching," Dissertation Abstracts International Part B: Science and Engineering, Vol. 59, No. 10, p. 5213, April 1999.
Warner, M.E., W.K. Fitt and G.W. Schmidt, "Damage to photosystem II in symbiotic dinoflagellates: A determinant of coral bleaching," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 96, No. 14, p. 8007-8012, July 6, 1999.
White, M. "Sensitive Marine Environments and the Regulation of Shipping: The Great Barrier Reef Experience," Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1999, p. 219-242.
Osborne, K, Dolman, A, Burgess, S, & Johns, K 2011, 'Disturbance and the Dynamics of Coral Cover on the Great Barrier Reef (1995-2009)', Plos ONE, 6, 3, p. 1, Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 April 2014.
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
Leading scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the world’s oceans could become too acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms. Coral reefs contain only six per cent of the area of the Great Barrier Reef, yet they provide critical habitat and food for numerous species in the ecosystem. However, climate change has already impacted coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef as corals are very helpless against its potential impacts. Eight mass coral bleaching events has occurred since 1979, triggered by unusually high water temperatures. And because of this, zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) leave their tissues and corals will have no more colours hence ‘bleaching’. Without the zooxanthellae, the corals that remain gradually starve to death. Once the coral dies, fish and a multitude of other marine species are soon affected. Rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storm surges will see more erosion of Australia’s coastline, causing community and residential
The character Sir John Falstaff played a crucial part in Shakespeare's Henry IV. Falstaff portrayed a side of life that was both brutal and harsh. This was important because, as Falstaff was, all the other main characters in the play were Nobles. Unlike Falstaff, the other nobles in the play acted as nobles. Falstaff, on the other hand acted more like the lower class people. In doing this he portrayed the thoughts and feelings of the lower class people. As he portrayed the lower class people, Falstaff brought the reader to think about the difference between a noble and lower class people. This was because Falstaff contrasted well with the nobles and brought out new aspects of the themes that Shakespeare experienced during his life. Some of these views brought out be Falstaff were quite harsh, in comparison to the accepted views of the time. To help balance the harshness of his views, Falstaff was very good natured and invoked laughter in the reader.
Coral reefs are often thought of being “rainforests of the ocean” as they create a large diversity. A select type of coral control this diversity a symbiotic relationship with plankton. The distinct type of plankton are called zooxanthellae. This symbiotic relationship between hosts and partners that use photosynthesis, allow coral to skyrocket in seas where nutrients are poor and send calcium carbonate down to the bottom of the ocean in order to build reefs up in size (Toller et al. 2001).
...of coral. Zooxanthellae provides corals with their pigmentation as well as glucose and amino acids. Loss of zooxanthellae leads to "bleaching", a loss of coloration and stamina within the coral that lends the organism prone to disease.
All over the world coral reefs play an important part in our environment. Not only are the reefs colorful and beautiful to look at but the coral reefs house several different types of fish and other sea creatures. Coral reefs have started to decline over the years due to “climate change, El Nino events, overfishing, pollution and other pressures” (Newnham 1). A healthy coral reef can also collapse due to a natural disaster (Newnham 2). There can be several different reasons why a coral reef has started to decline or has been destroyed.
Coral bleaching is when the tiny algae that lives in the coral which causes it to be bright and colourful, gets so stressed out when the water temperature exceeds the limit that it can handle, which then makes the algae
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
Coral Reefs are said to be the “tropical rainforest” of the sea. They are home to over 25% of all marine life (http://coralreefalliance.org.stories/storyReader$77). Over the past few decades they have been subjected to destructive anthropogenic practices. Some of the major threats to coral reefs include sedimentation, water pollution, harmful recreational activities, and global warming. All of these things cause stress on corals and can potentially cause mortality. Corals are made up of two parts, a polyp and zooxanthellae. A polyp is a calcerous body that grows from a hard part of the ocean floor. Zooxanthellae is a photosynthetic algae which lives in the polyp and provide energy for themselves and the coral. In many cases, corals undergo “bleaching,” which is a process where corals lose the zooxantheallae or chlorophyll pigment, and turn white (Wilkinson et all). After bleaching corals can survive for several months. It is possible for corals to recover by hosting more zooxantheallae, but it can take between 5 and 50 years for them to recover completely (Wilkinson et all, 1999).
One fixation in the Industrial Revolution was the waterpower steam engine. The steam engine was one of the most important technologies during the Industrial Revolution. A man named Hero was the first to devise the steam engine. After Hero devised the steam engine many people experimented with steam-powered devices. In 1712 Thomas Newcomens finally developed the first successful engine. Although it was successful it still had many faults. In 1785 James Watt improved the steam engine based off of what Newcomens had built. In order to power the engines you needed coal. Steam engines became a very important source of power all the way to the 20th century. During the Industrial Revolution, steam power replaced waterpower and muscle power, which usually came from horses. Waterpower was used as a primary source of power in industries. It allowed factories to locate where waterpower was not available. In the beginning it was used to pump water from mines but later on got many more important uses, by using steam engines factories didn’t have to be located close to a water resource, they were able to be located anywhere. Steam engines made a very big impact...
Rates of coral calcification on the Great Barrier Reef and many other reef systems around the world have declined by 15-20% since 1990 due to increasing thermal stress (De’ath 2012). It has already been mentioned that the oceans absorb almost all of the excess heat from climate change. This affects coral reef systems in what is known as coral bleaching. The term bleaching refers to the loss of corals’ colors. A coral’s color is the result of the zooxanthellae present.
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a
Today many people do not see the need to preserve corals reefs. Hence because of the lack of appreciation for the reefs, they are slowly disappearing. Many citizens do not realize the importance of these reefs, the species they hold, and the food webs that connect the ecosystems. Our American government has stated many times that they are doing all they can to preserve and to replenish our coral reefs. However, how accurate is that statement? To answer these questions, we first have to understand what a coral reef is and how it can be saved.