Introduction
The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most prized icons, however, banana production is polluting nearby rivers in North Queensland, turning them red and brown from sediment runoff, threatening the future of the Reef. This report will explore the impacts of the Australian banana industry on The Great Barrier Reef, action taken to prevent negative impacts, and possible solutions.
Location & Ecosystem
The rivers and creeks along the wet tropics in far North Queensland are followed by massive amounts of banana farms. These farms run across 1500 kilometres of the Queensland coastline. During heavy rainfall, which is plentiful in the area, sediment and nutrients run off into the rivers and eventually end up in the Great Barrier
…show more content…
Reef. One of the biggest threats to the Reef is Johnstone River, as it is one of the closest rivers to the Reef, and the farms along its coast are producing the highest yields. Banana farms are used very intensely and combined with the plentiful floods in the area, sediment runoff from the farms is at an all-time high. The Great Barrier reef is over 2,300 kilometres long and has over 2,900 reefs, and 940 islands and cays.
A huge diversity of animals inhabit the Reef, including many endangered and vulnerable species, many of which rely solely on the Reef for survival. It is even home to more than one-third of the world’s soft corals, 1,500 species of fish, 411 types of hard coral, six of the world’s seven species of threatened marine turtles, 134 species of sharks and rays, and more than 30 species of marine mammals, including the endangered dugong. The Great Barrier Reef is also home to a species of starfish called crown of thorns, named as such due to their round and spiky appearance, these starfish are normally a beneficial part of the Reef ecosystem as they feed on the fastest growing corals, maintaining coral …show more content…
diversity. Impacts of Human Activity on Ecology Banana farms are producing more sediment pollution than any other type of farm in the region. About 1.4 million tonnes of sediment enter reef waters every single year, which is almost five times more than before European settlement. This pollution is causing a variety of problems for the reef. Crown of thorns outbreaks have already caused approximately 40% of the reef to be eaten away, and the silt from the wet tropics and the Johnstone river reduces water clarity by half, meaning that half as much sunlight gets to the coral. Coral grows through the process of photosynthesis, so without as much sunlight young corals are dying before adulthood, making recovery in between cyclones and crown of thorns outbreaks even harder. The organic matter in all the sediment flowing into the Reef are also triggering blooms of phytoplankton and algae, which feeds the crown of thorns starfish larvae and allows much larger populations of them to grow. With higher populations of the starfish, the Reef is being eaten away. A GROUP OF CROWN OF THORNS STARFISH FEASTING ON THE REEF - CREDIT: KATHARINA FABRICIUS, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE Awareness of Ecological Impacts Sugarcane farms often took the blame for the pollution as of late, but Martin Cunningham, a fisherman from Innisfail, has produced unequivocal proof that the banana farms located along the shores of the Johnstone River are the source.
His drone footage makes it undeniably clear that the Johnstone River is a major supplier of sediment for the reef, as it shows the river water completely red with visible plumes of silt pouring out of it into the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Institute of Marine Science, or AIMS, has been researching the current state of the reef, and their work suggests that these plumes of sediment are a huge threat to the entire reef as they travel further and hang around longer than previously thought – all the way to the mid and outer shells of the reef.
Although, against all the evidence proving bananas are the problem, some farmers are still in denial. These farmers refuse to acknowledge the damage they are causing and, in turn, refuse to make any effort to stop it. Fortunately, denial has been fading out in recent years as more banana growers implement new methods of minimising their sediment
pollution. Actions Taken The federal and Queensland state government have both promised to protect the reef. The Queensland Labour government has created a plan to protect the reef called “Reef 2050”. However, Reef 2050 has more ambitious water quality goals than previous plans, but even less funding. The plan has been endorsed by the World Heritage Committee, but specifically told the governments to come back with an investment plan and that it is a matter of priority as the plan would cost billions of dollars to achieve. Banana farmers have also been working to reduce their sediment output, many have started planting grass in between rows of bananas to hold the soil in, and Doug Phillips, chairman of The Banana Growers Council has stated “[We need to] take all steps we reasonably can to minimise movement of soil from our farms.” Unfortunately, this is not enough. Even if every banana farm in the region operated with best practice we would only meet half of our water quality targets, more must be done. Summary The Great Barrier Reef is in serious danger due to the huge amounts of sediment coming from Banana farms along the Johnstone River and other rivers in North Queensland and spreading all across the Reef, even the outer shells. The sediment is stopping young corals from growing to adulthood and causing coral feeding crown of thorns outbreaks, actively eating away at the Reef preventing its recovery from cyclones and other natural disasters. The Queensland Labour Government has devised a plan called “Reef 2050”, but it has even less funding than previous more ambitious reef protection plans. Banana farmers are implementing methods to reduce their sediment output, but it isn’t nearly enough to save the Reef. In order to save the Reef, first farmers will need to do everything in their power to minimise the pollution from their farms. Consumers can help this change by boycotting farmers in denial and supporting those that work to make their farms more environmentally friendly. The government needs to stop cutting funding from critical programs and invest significantly more into Reef 2050 than they currently are. This is the only way the Reef can be saved before it is too late.
Tapas Biswas, A. K. a. J. A., 2012. Recent Floods and Salinity of the Murray River. [Online]
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a remarkable number of organisms. The coral itself is made up of the skeletons of tiny, flowerlike water animals called polyps, held together by a limestone substance produced by a type of algae. Hundreds...
Together with 1,500 species of fishes and several species of snapper and coal trout. There are many more species in the Reef and this makes it important to Australian fish markets as a source of fish. This place is also a tourist location and a lot of people come visit here every day whether it be fishing or sight seeing.
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the world’s largest coral reef system, located along the northeast coast of Queensland in Australia. GBR stretches from the most northern part in the country – Torres Strait and all the way down to Fraser Island – the southeast part of Queensland. The distance from north to southeast is close to 2575 kilometres and the whole GBR area is covering around 344 400 square kilometres – which might be why you can see the reef all the way from space. GBR contains approximately 2900 individual reefs and not only is it the world’s largest reef but also the earth 's largest formation shaped by living organisms (Zimmermann, 2012).
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world, it protects coastlines from the dangerous effects of tropical storms and wave action, it is also home to more than 11,ooo marine life. It is one of the world’s largest coral reefs, so large in fact that you can see if from space.
Leading scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the world’s oceans could become too acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms. Coral reefs contain only six per cent of the area of the Great Barrier Reef, yet they provide critical habitat and food for numerous species in the ecosystem. However, climate change has already impacted coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef as corals are very helpless against its potential impacts. Eight mass coral bleaching events has occurred since 1979, triggered by unusually high water temperatures. And because of this, zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) leave their tissues and corals will have no more colours hence ‘bleaching’. Without the zooxanthellae, the corals that remain gradually starve to death. Once the coral dies, fish and a multitude of other marine species are soon affected. Rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storm surges will see more erosion of Australia’s coastline, causing community and residential
Around the world, their are beautiful places called “the seven wonders of the natural world”. These sites are fantastic because of there fascinating views and the fact that they were naturally made, not by humans. One of these seven natural wonders of the natural world is the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef was formed by corals growing on submerged islands. The sea level then continued to rise, “leading to more corals growing and forming.” (Zimmerman). The Great Barrier Reef is “a mosaic of 2,900 individual reefs” and can be “seen from space and is not only the world's largest coral reef system but also the largest structure
It starts in the Australian Alps and regulated by Burrinjuck Dam located near Yass at the junction of the Yass and Goodradigbee Rivers. The valley also receives water from the Snowy Mountains Scheme which is stored in Blowering Dam on the Tumut River. Downstream of Narrandera the major effluent of Yanco Creek leaves the river, feeding a series of regulated creeks that flow southwest to eventually join the Murray River. The lower end of the Murrumbidgee River is known as the Lowbidgee, a broad floodplain where the river degrades into a complex area of effluent channels and swamps (Burrell, 2017).
Richmond, R. H. 1993. “Coral Reefs: Present problems and Future Concerns Resulting form Anthropogenic Disturbance.” American Zoologist. V33: P524-536.
As can be seen from the map (Figure 5), the Maribyrnong Rivers begins when the two major tributaries- Deep Creek and Jackson’s creek merge together, and then the river go through the Brimbank Park, downstream flows through suburban Melbourne before joining the Yarra River estuary on its way out to Port Phillip Bay. Therefore, because of the hydrology, there is erosion can be found in the Site 2 area.
That’s not to say that the Great Barrier Reef has not suffered its own damage. It has and will continue to suffer in the future. Corals use these products to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and produce calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is what the coral uses to make its hard skeleton.
The Great barrier reef has had many recent hardships, including water pollutants and the increasing water temperature. Although it may be too late to save this particular reef we the people must not be so nearsighted to the
The Great Barrier Reef is an exemplary model of the famous exotic coral reef seen in a copy of the National Geographic or the popular animated film Finding Nemo. Located on the coast of Australia, it is known as the “largest biological organism in the world” (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” par. 1). The idea bears that coral reefs are again not an assortment of organisms functioning separately but rather working together to thrive. The groups of coral that are seen in t...
Coral reefs are huge structures made of limestone that is deposited by living things. There are thousands of species that live in coral reefs, but only a fraction actually produces the limestone that builds the reef. Coral reefs support over 25% of all known marine species. They are one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet, and are home to over 4,000 different types of fish, 700 species of coral and thousands of other plants and animals.