Australia to spend half a billion to protect Great Barrier Reef (1 Viewer)

[VictorySazarac]

I wonder if it isn't too little, too late.

Australia pledges $400m to save Great Barrier Reef | Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypo3mWDln6A

By About Dw.com
"The world's largest coral reef system has witnessed massive coral bleaching caused by rises in water temperatures and ocean acidity levels. Now, the Australian government is planning to breed more resilient coral.

The Australian government is planning to spend AU$500 million (US$380 million, €312 million) to help restore and protect the endangered Great Barrier Reef, Australian broadcaster ABC reported Sunday.
"This is the single largest investment in restoration and management in Australia's history," Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg told ABC.
Frydenberg said the money would be spent on improving water quality, tackling the crown-of-thorns starfish, and helping develop new species of coral that are more resilient to warmer temperatures.

The Great Barrier Reef, a coral reef system larger than Italy, is severely endangered as a result of global warming. Rising water temperatures coupled with the acidification of the ocean have caused catastrophic damage to its coral.
A report published earlier this month showed that nearly a third of coral in the 2,300-kilometer-long (1,430-mile) reef system died during a nine-month period in 2016 following an extended heatwave.


'Preserve it for future generations'
The corals have also been hit by a crown-of-thorns starfish epidemic. The starfish species is a natural predator of the coral and has done massive damage over the past few decades.
The planned expenditure will be part of the budget to be unveiled next week.
A part of the funding will go towards convincing farmers to reduce the amount of harmful substances such as sediment and pesticides flowing into the reef, Frydenberg said.
"The reef supports some 64,000 jobs, its worth to the economy is over AU$6 billion and it attracts more than 2 million visitors a year," Frydenberg told ABC.
"It's a natural and national and international icon and that is why we're so determined to preserve it for future generations," he said."

crown of thorns starfish
http://www.dw.com/image/43580980_401.jpg

 

[mittens]

Yes! I was no where near the hobby when I was able to snorkel at Port Douglas, slightly north of Cairns, but man this is one place you have got to get in to a wetsuit for. This was over 10 years ago but I can still remember the giant clams that were over 4-5ft big and they stretched on and on beyond where I could swim. The hundreds of clownfish everywhere, though I don’t remember seeing a single nem.. schools of squid, lots of turtles, and then a white tipped shark swam right under me scaring the bejesus out of me. I didn’t do the dive so I missed the huge sunfish that the others saw. I’m sure if I went now I’d appreciate the coral more.

 

[Tangs]

There is not much they can do. We have to get all that co2 out of the air. Co2 is causing global warming and the ocean waters on the great barrier reef will be too warm to support corals as we know of them today. We might see coral reefs further away from the equator possibly. Dolphins can now be seen along the coast of British Columbia CAnada as an example because the water is getting warmer. The earth is changing fast and coral reefs take a time to establish so time will tell.

 

[chris85]

As we should all do!!! Not saying donate your personal money but there are huge things just the average hobbies can do. One is get an algae scrubber or start producing live phytoplankton. Two is stop using fertilizer and throw your skimmate in the yard. Three stop using as much plastics as you can or at least recycle them and pick up that couple prices of trash that you pass by everyday.

The goverment or any one organization is not going to cure it we have to do it together. We as a feeding community know how tedious it is to keep an aquarium ....much less than an ocean.

 

[mittens]

If you really want to make a change... boycott any wild imports. Only buy from someone else's tank. Then stop going on scuba and snorkeling tours in great preserves.

 

[Tangs]

Save the earth. What we need is people who have way too much money than could possibly spend. People who are good at making money just for the fun or challenge of it. We need these people to save our world. They can afford to have a specually designed ship go out there and collect the garbage with out killing many fish in the mean time. We need them to develop scrubbers of some sort to take the co2 out of the air. Gouvenments already spend more than they gather and corporations have to answer to their share holders. Just doing a bit here and there is good intentions and does help out but it is not enough. Face it folks if nothing drastic is done in the next 20 years life as we know it will have its days numbered.

 

[chris85]

We need to stop relying on government and corporations and do our part!!

Did you know that seagrass beds are more of a carbon sink than the rain forest.... One hectare of seagrass does more for carbon and co2 than four hectares of forest.

I don't know about canada but america imports 80 percent Yes i said 80 of our seafood which astounds me because we are surrounded by water. The reason we do this is because we have regulations and ....what for it..... the world maxed out as a whole in the wild seafood industry in the 80's the wild population is going down. So we import aquaculture seafood anyway my point is if you disrupt something that is over 70 percent of the earth(the ocean) it throws the balance off as reef keepers we know how important balance is!! Just try and help out is all I am saying.


IT IS NEVER TOO LATE YOU JUST HAVE TO WORK HARDER!!