2018 - The Great Barrier Reef in danger
| The Great Barrier Reef in danger | |||
| 1 5 10 | Located off the
coast of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is home to thousands of spe- cies, for example jellyfish, sharks and sea snakes. There are more than 30 species of whales and dolphins and the most beautiful fish you could imagine. The reef is famous for its high number of corals and for its bright and beautiful colours. It has been Australia's main tourist attraction for years, generating a profit of up to 6 billion Aus- tralian dollars and creating about 64,000 jobs. | ||
| But all this
could come to an end soon because the GBR seems to be dying. According
to the latest scientific reports, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching is destroying the reef faster than anyone had expected, possibly leading to a total collapse by 2030. | |||
15 20 | Experts agree
that the bleaching of corals is a natural response to environmental
stress. Corals have a close relationship with algae. Algae are important for the survival of corals because they feed them through photosynthesis. Moreover they give corals their brilliant colours. Due to global warming, rising sea temperatures over the past 30 years have put corals to thermal stress. Too much heat means corals and algae separate, the algae taking the colour with them. The result is white coral skeletons, which give the bleaching phenom- enon its name. If corals go for too long without algae, coral bleaching can lead to the corals' death. A satellite picture of Australia's east coast clearly shows that large sections of the GBR have already gone completely white. | ||
25 | "This will
change the GBR forever," said Terry Hughes, an Australian coral
scientist. The bleaching has been his worst nightmare and his research trip to the GBR has been the sad- dest trip of his life. Hughes feels angry with the Australian government, who he thinks should have acted sooner to prevent the current situation. | ||
30 | In addition to
the biggest threat1, global warming, there are even more dangers for the
species living on the GBR. One of them is pollution which is caused by intensive farming. So fer- tilisers2, pesticides and herbicides get into the sea via local rivers. To make things worse chemicals from mining activities get into the ocean, too and harm marine organisms. | ||
| 1 35 | In 2015, the
Australian minister Greg Hunt gave the green light to expand a coal port3 next to the GBR which would then become the largest in the world. Its construction will make it necessary to throw 1 million cubic metres of earth and rock into the GBR waters. This could damage seagrass beds and therefore shorten the main food source for some marine animals. | ||
40 | The GBR's
ecosystem may have a chance if these extra threats could be stopped or at
least reduced. Areas where threats have been banned or limited have recovered from damage. It is therefore up to the Australian government to wake up and act. But since global warming is not likely to be stopped very soon, it might be too late for the corals. | ||
| So Australia´s
main tourist attraction is in danger. A new survey recently found out
that tourists would spend their holidays somewhere other than Australia if the bleaching con- tinued. (528 words) | |||
| Adapted from: "Read on" (08/2016), Eilers &
Schünemann Verlag KG, Bremen; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/21/great-barrier-reef-tourists-will-go-elswhere-if- bleaching-continues-poll (08.02.2017); https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/facts-about-the-great-barrier- reef (11.05.2017); https://theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/10/australias-politicians-have-betrayed- the-great-barrier-reef-and-only-the-people-can-save-it (11.05.2017); https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/ kits/corals/coral02_zooxanthellae.html (20.09.2017) | |||
| 1 threat - Bedrohung 2 fertilisers - Düngemittel 3 coal port - Kohlehafen | |||