A report indicates that the Great Barrier Reef in Australia has rebounded to record levels following storms and bleaching incidents. Although this is wonderful news, according to authorities, the new coral is very susceptible to environmental challenges like climate change and can quickly lose its beauty. The reef’s northern and central regions have the most coral cover. This has been the case ever since coral monitoring started, or about 36 years ago. However, the coral cover reef’s southern portion has shrunk. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scans the reef to check its health, each year. Aerial surveys and slowly towed divers are the methods they employ to do this.
Since the fourth mass bleaching was revealed in March, AIMS has had serious worries, particularly as this year’s study approaches. ‘In our 36 years of monitoring the status of the Great Barrier Reef, we have rarely witnessed bleaching occurrences so close together,’ said Paul Hardisty, chief executive of AIMS.
According to the most recent findings, the reef cover can recover provided the right conditions continue, however at the Great Barrier Reef, acute and severe disturbances are occurring more frequently and lasting longer.
The Great Barrier Reef is greatly threatened by coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish and the destructive waves of tropical cyclones. In fact, a large portion of this recent coral growth that is a member of the Acropora species is at risk from this danger.
The Great Barrier Reef, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, has been recognised as a World Heritage Site for 40 years due to its immense scientific and intrinsic value. The UN’s scientific and cultural organisation, UNESCO, claims that ‘not enough’ is being done to save the reef.
According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which oversees the reef’s management, the Great Barrier Reef’s future is ‘extremely bleak’ as a result of climate change.
Although this news offers some optimism for biodiversity preservation, there are still a lot of obstacles to overcome.
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