REPORT SHOWS THE REEF IS RESILIENT BUT INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE

A new report into the health of the Great Barrier Reef shows the World Heritage icon is resilient but increasingly vulnerable to climate change, said WWF-Australia.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) today released the latest report from its Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP) showing that coral cover had increased in all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef.

But the results were released with a big note of caution.

Most of the underwater surveys were conducted before and during the recent mass coral bleaching in March and have not yet captured how many corals survived or died from that event.

“The good news is this report shows the Reef is still resilient and has bounced back from the terrible bleaching events in 2016 and 2017,” said Richard Leck, WWF-Australia’s Head of Oceans.

“But it also shows the future of the Reef is uncertain.

“We still don’t know the impact of this year’s mass bleaching event, which was one of the most extensive and severe on record.

“We can also see that coral cover is fluctuating like never before.

“The LTMP has been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef for more than 35 years. While we’ve seen some natural variations in coral cover in the past, we are now seeing huge variations as sea temperatures warm.”

Mr Leck said Australia needed to do more to stabilise global heating to 1.5 degrees.

“Currently, Australia is not on track for 1.5° C and a big lift in ambition is needed to give the Reef a fighting chance in the face of ongoing climate damage,” he said.

“The Queensland Government recently legislated strong emissions and renewable energy targets. Now it’s time for our federal government to step up.

“The Prime Minister must commit to a federal emissions reduction target of at least 90% below 2005 levels by 2035, stop approving new fossil fuel projects, and support a global treaty to phase out all fossil fuels.

“The Reef is still resilient, but the big question is how long that resilience will last as temperatures become more extreme.”

For more information download WWF-Australia’s Reef Brief here.