The Endangered Ecosystem—The Great Barrier Reef
Abstract
The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland in Australia, is the
oldest and largest “creatures” in the world which has been listed in the World
Heritage. Both the Australia government and local people benefit a lot from the
Great Barrier Reef from cultural aspect to economic aspect. However, due to many
reasons, the Great Barrier Reef is facing the danger of destruction now due to a
series of factors. Three main questions will be asked in the following order: threats
the Great Barrier Reef is facing currently, the phenomenon of destruction of the
Great Barrier Reef (coral bleaching), and the reasons to protect the Great Barrier
Reef from the aspect of ecology. To know the current situation of the Great Barrier
Reef, I cite information from latest science magazine and other websites as my
methodology. As to the result, one will gradually get to know the huge price we all
have to pay once the whole ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef suspends. Even
though the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is not straightly linked to people in
Taiwan, the unbalanced food chains and ecosystem ultimately will affect people
around the world. This research paper aims at addressing several questions about
the threat and protection of the Great Barrier Reef, letting people know the
importance as well as the irreplaceability of the Great Barrier Reef as one of the most
abundant marine ecosystems among the environment.
What Threats have the Great Barrier Reef Been Facing So Far?
There are many potential threats to not only the Great Barrier Reef but also all
the coral reef habitats in the world. Among them, three dominant factors are listed
below in this paper.
1. Changing of the World Climate
Everybody knows the deterioration of green house effect leads to
numerous problems, but seldom do people notice that the green house effect
also affects the growth of coral reef secretly. Green house gases such as carbon
dioxide and methane rise global temperature, land and ocean alike, and the
changing of world climate is perhaps the toughest problem to all coral reefs.
According to the National Geographic magazine published in May, 2011, “major
bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef and elsewhere in 1997-98 was linked to
severe El Nino year and record-high sea-surface temperature (Holland).” In fact,
one phenomenon that brings this issue to the public is the coral bleaching of the
Great Barrier Reef, which will be discussed later in this research paper. Even
though the reef has experienced expansion and erosion since the ice ages, the
world climate changing this time is somehow more serious because of human
industry activities.
2. Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidification, an aspect which people neglect even more than that of
changing of world climate, actually originates from the same element of green
house effect. Due to the increasing emission of carbon dioxide from industries,
the level of PH lower, meaning that the seawater becomes “sour.” According to
chemistry, carbonate can erode calcium, a major constituent which composes
limestone and shells on animals. In other words, ocean acidification “thwarts the
ability of marine creatures to build their limestone shells and skeletons” (Holland).
It is clearly for one to see the harm it does to the coral reefs.
3. Overfishing and Tourism
Overfishing and “over tourism” is another threat for the Great Barrier
“Reef which can be regulated by the government or related organizations.
Reefs generate a variety of seafood products like fish, mussels(貽貝),
crustaceans, sea cucumbers and seaweeds…Reef-related fisheries constitute
approximately 9-12% of the world’s total fisheries” (Moberg and Folke).
Nevertheless, overfishing a can cause great damage to all kinds of
ecosystems when the targets are keystone species, certain species that play
an important part in their ecosystems. They are the key to “maintain the
balance of all other species in the community, and because of their huge
impact on species diversity and community structure, they have become
popular targets for conservation efforts” (Klappenbach). For example, in the
Great Barrier Reef ecosystem, one of the keystone species is giant triton, a
kind of spiral shell which acts as the predator of crown-of-thorns starfish, a
species that feeds on corals. However, overfishing has been aggravated in
recent years, keystone and non-keystone species alike. Based on The latest
Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS)’s comments on fisheries in Australia, “Among
the 83 principal species classified, 17 were listed as overfished and a further
seven were subject to some overfishing. Another 19 species were classified
as not overfished, and 40 were classified as uncertain.” Mr. Kennedy, director
of Humane Society International, said ‘this meant the number of overfished
species had increased from 17 in the previous report to 24 in the 2005 report”
(smh 2007).
In addition to overfishing, “overtourism” is another serious problem. The
Great Barrier Reef has always been a paradise for people who love sea activities.
But, too much tourists do harm to the coral reef itself. In national geographic
magazines, it mentions “The reef bears a two-mile-long scar from a collision with
a Chinese coral carrier in April of last year” (Holland). Other behaviors like
collecting local marine resources cannot be totally prohibited, either. This is an
issue that worth noticing, because it is a fact that destruction will always be
made if there are too much “visitors” in one place.
Apart from all these factors, the flooding in Australia also damaged the
coral reef system by “sending huge plumes of sediment and toxin-laden waters
onto the reef off Queensland” (Holland). These harms have been progressing
step by step, thus it is hard to prevent them from worsening instantly.
The Recession of Coral Reef—Coral Bleaching
Most coral species form a symbiotic relationship with algae in their cells to
get energy from them while they are photosynthesizing. However, when the sea
temperature rises and it is warmer in the surroundings, those algae becomes
toxic and will be “driven out” by coral polyps. Without the algae providing
nutrients, corals will starve and ultimately die. Besides, it is algae that make
corals colorful. Once the algae “leaves,” the corals return to their original,
skeletal white color. This process is called “coral bleaching,” a phenomenon fatal
to coral systems.
Based on the information from national geographic magazine, “major
bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef in 1997-98 was linked to severe El Nño year
and record-high sea-surface temperatures—in some spots 3ºF higher than
normal” (Holland). It has become the most serious problem for the Great Barrier
Reef ecosystem. Some experts even predict that mass bleaching will happen
more and more frequently as a vicious cycle responding to the world climate
change (Australian Government).
Why should one protect the Great Barrier Reef from the aspect of ecology?