Great Barrier Reef ‘not so great’
Recent estimates put average coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef at about 20-30% - estimated to be a large reduction since the 1960s. Image: pniesen/iStockphoto Researchers at James Cook University have questioned why coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has continued to decline when it is recognised as “the best managed coral reef system in the world”. Jon Brodie, Senior Principal Research Officer with JCU’s Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWater) and Research Fellow Jane Waterhouse said that recent estimates put average coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) at about 20–30% - estimated to be a large reduction since the 1960s. “The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act was enacted in 1975 and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) set up shortly afterwards,” they said. “So the question is: why has coral cover continued to decline when the GBR is being managed with a management regime...