Environment and ecology
Great Barrier Reef has recorded its largest Coral Bleach
▪ The Great Barrier Reef has experienced its most significant yearly drop in coral cover in nearly four decades, caused by widespread coral bleaching, cyclones, and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish.
Coral Bleaching
▪ A stress response in corals when symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) are expelled from coral tissues.
▪ Loss of algae removes the coral’s main food source and colour, leaving it pale or white.
▪ Bleaching does not always kill coral, but prolonged stress can lead to mortality.
Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
▪ The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest coral reef system globally.
▪ World Heritage: The GBR is also a habitat for endangered species like the dugong and the large green turtle. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it was added to the list in 1981.
