The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. This ecosystem alone represents 10% of all coral reefs. As can be seen in the picture below, it covers two-thirds of the northern eastern coastline of Australia, from Bundaberg to Cape York. The Great Barrier Reef is home to a host of diverse organisms, many of which are endemic. Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef is threatened by human activity, and its future is largely determined by our actions.  

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The Great Barrier Reef dates back to as long as 20 million years ago. Because of its old age, this ecosystem has endured and adapted through many cyclical changes in temperature and sea level. The reefs build themselves on top of old reef systems after each ice age, when the sea level rises and floods the low-lying coastal regions. The Great Barrier Reef in its present state is believed to have developed 8,000 years ago. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are speculated to be the first people to interact with the reefs, and in the 18th century, the reefs were rediscovered by the Europeans. With increasing rates of human interaction, the Great Barrier Reef’s environment is changing at a faster rate, giving the coral reefs limited time for adaptation. Whenever natural disasters have occurred in the past, the Great Barrier Reef has managed to recover. Unfortunately, whether or not the Great Barrier Reef can survive from these manmade disasters is uncertain.

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