The Great Barrier Reef is Important

Habitats for countless species

Coral reefs account for only 7% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area. The rest is comprised of other marine habitats, including inshore mangroves, seagrass, algal and sponge gardens, giant clam gardens, sand, soft sediment seabed, mud, bedrock, shoals and deeper waters on the continental slope beyond the outer reef. Many species use different habitats at different stages of their lives. Species loss in any one habitat can have consequences elsewhere.

Globally, coral reefs occupy less than 0.1% of the world’s ocean surface, but provide a habitat for 25% of all marine species. A 2011 paper estimates there are more than 2 million marine species in total, of which less than 10% have been described by science.

Lizard Island science is advancing knowledge of thousands of local species, many of which are recorded in the Lizard Island Field Guide.

A vast, beautiful, precious wilderness

The Great Barrier Reef is Australia’s greatest natural treasure. It is carefully managed by Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Queensland Government. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981, meeting international criteria for Outstanding Universal Value.

These two websites explain it’s extraordinary values.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority > the Reef

UNESCO > World Heritage List

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef since the 1980s. This is the longest continuous record of coral reef communities at such a large scale anywhere in the world.

AIMS long-term monitoring program

The Australian and Queensland Governments have developed a framework for protecting and managing the Great Barrier Reef to 2050.

Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan

Jobs, dollars and food

The Great Barrier Reef is hugely valuable to Australia’s economy through the activities of tourism, recreation, commercial fishing and research. The GBR is also a significant source of food for local indigenous people, and an important part of the food chain and life cycle for fish caught elsewhere.

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