Interventions expected to slow Great Barrier Reef decline in Australia
By
Kyle Barnett
Researchers say they could slow the Great Barrier Reef s decline by about 20 years, but that climate change poses a significant threat to the world s largest living structure. File Photo by NASA/UPI | License Photo
April 29 (UPI) Australia s Great Barrier Reef faces precipitous decline over the next 50 years, but researchers suggest, in a study published Thursday in Royal Society Open Science, that intervention now could slow the effects of climate change by up to 20 years.
While many scientists have been searching for ways to slow or halt the reef s decline, researchers at Australia s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization suggest there are steps that could save it.
Last modified on Wed 28 Apr 2021 13.31 EDT
Shading corals and deploying more heat-resistant species across the Great Barrier Reef on an as-yet untested scale could buy the world heritage site another two decades, according to a study led by Australian government scientists.
The scientists said combining âlife supportâ interventions such as cloud brightening â which involves spraying sea water to make low-altitude clouds more reflective â with better management of a coral-eating starfish could help delay âprecipitous declinesâ caused by global heating.
But the scientists said it would only be effective if strong global action was taken to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions.
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Relief for Great Barrier Reef this summer
Relatively mild conditions during the recent summer months provided an opportunity for recovery for Australia’s best-loved natural icon, the Great Barrier Reef.
This 2020-21 summary is a key part of the second annual Reef Snapshot, released today by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and CSIRO.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Chief Executive Officer Josh Thomas said conditions this summer were relatively uneventful, in a positive way.
“The 2020-21 summer months were unlike the intense summer periods we have seen over some of the last few years which had mass bleaching and extreme weather so this is good news for the Reef,” he said.
The use of large nets put marine wildlife at risk from entanglements and death.
Over-fishing was causing significant declines of saucer scallop, east coast Australian snapper, pearl perch, black jewfish and some shark species.
Over-fishing and illegal fishing can compromise the long-term sustainability of stocks and impact the resilience of the marine ecosystem.
While GBRMPA sets the rules regarding where you can and cannot fish, the Queensland government is responsible for regulating fishing.
Unfortunately the Queensland governmentâs rollout of major fisheries reforms, designed to tackle many of these very issues, has stalled with no significant steps since September 2019.
As stewards of the most significant coral reef system on the planet, it is shameful and embarrassing that weâre subjecting our reef to such damaging fishing, particularly when itâs under such intense pressure from global warming and poor water quality.