A recovery in the number of corals growing on the Great Barrier Reef over recent years has paused, with government scientists blaming bleaching, disease and attacks by starfish. Results from the latest annual surveys of more than 100 individual reefs show a small drop in coral cover over the northern and central parts of the […]
NGOs block gillnet fishing across 100,000 sq km of Great Barrier Reef In an effort to protect dugongs and other threatened species, WWF-Australia bought a commercial gillnet fishing license for a swath of ocean in the northern Great Barrier Reef, to establish a de-facto marine sanctuary spanning more than 100,000 km2 (38,600 mi2). Dugongs, turtles, […]
Holland & Barrett becomes the first major UK retailer to ban chemical sunscreen There’s been a lot of talk over the last few years on the effects of sunscreen on our oceans, reports Women’s Health magazine. A 2008 European study found that approximately 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in our oceans every year, while a 2015 study in […]
The Queensland government has lost its battle for the right to use nets and drumlines to catch and kill sharks in a bid to protect swimmers on the Great Barrier Reef. The state government appeal to maintain its controversial management program was dismissed on Wednesday in the federal court in Sydney. In April the Administrative […]
Censorship alive and well in Australia: commentators have likened the removal of text on Great Barrier Reef damage in UN Report this to the worst excesses of communist regimes. As if the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef weren’t depressing enough.
The phenomenon of coral bleaching has been known for many years, however, the scale of the effects of the current El Nino warming has taken observers by surprise. The sheer geographic scale of this event and its clear visual impact are extremely worrying. This is ecosystem scale effect of climate change that many have predicted. […]