We're proud to celebrate the crucial work one of our charity partners, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation are doing to protect our Reef and its marine life.
The Great Barrier Reef is an irreplaceable ecosystem, home to thousands of species of marine life including fish, dolphins and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle.
But our Reef and coral reefs around the world are facing a growing combination of threats. Climate change and rising water temperatures, poor water quality from sediment run-off and pollution, as well as more severe cyclones and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, are just some of the threats creating a perfect storm for our Reef and the marine life that depend on it.
Saving our Reef is a huge task, but there’s hope.
Right now, The Great Barrier Reef Foundation are bringing together people and science to deliver the world’s largest coral reefs program and more than 100 Reef-saving projects.
Here are just a few of the world-leading projects this brilliant partner have underway right now.
- Restoring reefs with Coral IVF
Corals spawn just once a year and many of the resulting embryos die before they settle onto reefs. During annual spawning events, GBRF researchers capture millions of coral eggs and sperm and rear baby corals in specially-designed floating pools on the Reef and in tanks. When they are ready, they deliver them onto damaged reefs to restore and repopulate them.
- Creating a coral bank to restore our Reef
Preserving the genetic biodiversity of our Reef’s corals is critical, particularly as the effects of climate change continue to threaten the survival of our Reef.
Together with their partners, the GBRF are working hard to collect, analyse and freeze the sperm and eggs of key coral species, so that later we can thaw them, grow baby corals and transplant them back on our Reef to restore and repopulate it.
- Restoring critical island habitats and saving vulnerable species
The GBRF have pioneered the largest reef habitat rehabilitation project of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – bringing together Traditional Owners, scientists, local tourism leaders, governments and the community to protect and restore critical habitats.
They've already increased critical turtle nesting habitat on Lady Elliot Island by 125% and have started work at their newest sites in the Whitsundays and Avoid Island.
Along with all their amazing reef-focused projects, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation also work closely with the Tangaroa Blue Foundation - coordinating volunteers around the country to monitor the impact of marine debris along our coastlines and keep waterways clean.
Organisations like the Great Barrier Reef Foundation are already making an impact, but there is a lot more work to be done.
Read more here about why choosing reef safe sunscreen is so important.
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