Garie Beach

What can be done to save the Great Barrier Reef?

the Great Barrier Reef is dying because glabol warming. what can people do to save the Great Barrier Reef? anyone!!!

Public Comments

1. last week, there was campaign for improving the global climate. I saw many locations have concerts going on to broadcast out the message. Things like saving the energy, saving the forest, recycle garbage, etc
2. nothing will stop the warming might be something to help slow it down but not likey til we dead only thing we can do would be stop using about everything we use cars trucks spraycans anything like paper.. stop cutting trees let your grass grow.. alot of factories would have to be shut down millions of people would have to starve and die ... the best thing we could do for the reef is to stop going there and leave it alone
3. you just answered your own question. stop global warming. how do you stop global warming? you didn't ask that question.
4. Global warming is playing a big part in the disappearance of the world's coral reefs (not just the Barrier Reef). The higher than usual surface water temperatures, caused by the greenhouse effect and climatic changes, have increased 'coral bleaching'. The too warm water kills the coral pollyps who are the coral builders. Repeated or prolonged bleaching kills coral. We need to try and keep that surface water cooler! One way is to pray for stormy cyclonic weather as it will stir up the colder deeper seawater. But, it can also do a lot of damage on land. We, meaning all the countries, need to get their acts together and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Knowing that this will be difficult, we can help lessen the other distructive things we do to the reefs. I read somewhere that just under 60% of the damage done to the reefs is by people. Water pollution such as: gas from boats around the reefs, people dumping garbage over board, ships dumping wastes etc all play a roll in destoying the reefs. Tourists drop anchor and the anchor hits the coral breaking parts of the reef. Even fishing needs to be looked at more carefully. Fishing with cyanide and explosives: Some commercial fishing fleets use cyanide in the ocean. Cyanide fishing is a method which uses poison to stun and disorient fish before scooping them up. Still alive, the fish are sold for the tropical aquarium trade or for live fish restaurants. Cyanide kills the coral polyps. Other fisherman make bombs [potassium nitrate (a common fertilizer)] to cause large explosions which kill all the fish in the surrounding area and if there is any coral nearby the coral will be destroyed too. Ocean currents can carry debris for 1000s of miles (abandoned fishing nets, plastic bottles,) — Imagine the damage an old fishing net would have on the Barrier Reef? Increased construction along coasts, mining, farming upstream all cause soil to erode and rush downstream into the ocean and onto coral reefs. sediment can make the water cloudy smothering the coral. Coral need light to survive. Many tourists to reefs either snorkel or dive. These enthusiasts need to keep well away from the coral. Back flippers can do some serious damage and so can touching the coral. No souveniers!! There are things that can be done to help save the coral reefs.