This reef, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has experienced several episodes of mass bleaching, the last of which, this year, caused damage to 81% of the corals.
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Called by UNESCO to take action”urgent“To protect the Great Barrier Reef, Australia is launching a plan. The Australian Minister for the Environment has announced that she will dedicate the equivalent in dollars of 117 million euros to improve the quality of the water around the largest coral ecosystem in the world.
“Poor water quality prevents coral from growing back, kills seagrass beds and blocks sunlight needed for a healthy reef.”pointed out Tanya Plibersek, before targeting the “sediment runoff” as well as pesticides as being “one of the greatest threats to the Great Barrier Reef.”
After a new bleaching event, which caused significant damage to 81% of the reef, according to a government report, UNESCO called on Australia to take action. This phenomenon, which discolours corals, is due to a rise in water temperature, depriving the reef of its nutrients. The 2,300 km long Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage Site, due to the extremely rich biodiversity it shelters.
