“Reefs for me are places for solitude and thought. But I know there is fragility in their existence. I fear what lies ahead.”
– Dr. John “Charlie” Veron, Marine Scientist –
Climate change, ravenous starfish, military weapons, tourism and human industrial expansion. All of these and more are threats to the continued existence of the Great Barrier Reef and every living thing that is inextricably linked to it. Some are one-off occurrences that are easily preventable, while others are more wide-ranging in their scope and resultant consequences.
As Dr. Veron put it, there is a fragility in reefs, the Great Barrier Reef included. Action must be taken, but before that, there must be knowledge to give direction. The following sub-pages list some of the threats that the Great Barrier Reef has faced or is facing now.