User:Ns1419/Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef

Tourism is one of the major industries in the Great Barrier Reef region. Approximately 6.95 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. According to the WWF, tourism of the area contributes $5.89 billion a year to the Australian economy, and employs approximately 69,000 people. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, professor of Marine Sciences at the University of Queensland, sees the key competitive advantage of the Great Barrier Reef as opposed to other, closer, reef tourism destinations is the region's reputation as being "the most pristine coral reef on the planet". The GBRMPA states that careful management, which includes permits for camping and all commercial marine tourism within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, has so far ensured that tourists have a very minimal impact on the reef.

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The Great Barrier Reef holds a great significance in terms of its size and what it is beneficial for. The Great Barrier Reef is a very large reef located in Australia and can even be seen from space. The reef is used by many animals in which tourism on the reef is starting to tear away its territory from the animals. The reef is slowly starting to deteriorate as coral bleaching continues to be a problem from a larger scale issue. Human interaction with the reef is detrimental as it continues to put strain on the reef and its well being. This also translates to wildlife and it is slowly starting to die off as well. This is a spiraling issue with a lot of attention and resources to be able to reverse some of the damage.

Bio-life on the Reef
The animals and wild-life within the reef relies heavily on the coral in order for habitat and resources for food. Bio-life is diminishing at rapid rates causing the wild-life to die off and decrease. Wild-life kept a good relationship with the reef as it kept it alive and managed growth as it was being eaten and being used as protection. The reef continues to die today and the skeletons of the reef left are not enough of a habitat for the animals and wild-life that use this to survive.

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Climate Change and the Impact on Tourism

Mass coral-bleaching events, reflective of regional periods of coral stress, have been documented by researchers since the 1980s. While these events were originally attributed to El Nino currents, studies have shown that coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef is the result of climate change. In 2002, an aerial survey of a mass coral-bleaching event conducted by Ray Berkelmans, Glen De'ath, Kininmonth, and Williams J. Skirving of the Australian Institute of Marine Science showed an increase in bleaching compared to a survey conducted on another mass coral bleaching event in 1998. The increase in coral bleaching was correlated with a rise in Sea Surface Temperature (SST).

Coinciding with the presence of mass coral bleaching events was tourist development along Australia's coastline. "In the 1980s, the island resort of Hamilton was built following the dredging of harbors, leveling of hills, construction of hotels and an airport, and the creation of artificial beaches". The sediment produced by coastal tourist development has also shown to prevent coral in the Reef from photosynthesizing, causing parts of the Reef to be "starved."

Sunscreen is a useful product that many people (especially tourists) use to protect their skin against high amounts of UV. As these tourists protect their skin from burning by putting sunscreen on and running into the ocean, they are actually harming the Great Barrier Reef. Sunscreen and other skin products cause the reef to go into a process known as coral bleaching. “Sunscreens cause the rapid and complete bleaching of hard corals, even at extremely low concentrations. The effect of sunscreens is due to organic ultraviolet filters, which are able to induce the lytic viral cycle in symbiotic zooxanthellae with latent infections,”NCBI. In simple terms, the chemicals in sunscreen are absorbed into the coral and act like a poison, negatively impacting a reefs ability to reproduce and grow, resulting in bleaching. Coral bleaching is when the coral loses its pigment/vibrant colors and dies, leaving only a white or brown skeleton. Corals that have undergone bleaching are completely dead.

Tourists also cause physical damage to the Great Barrier Reef in several ways. Boats used to take tourists on snorkeling excursions are one of the main culprits. These boats scratch and break of pieces of the coral, not only causing death to the severed piece but also harming the rest of the reef. Tourists have also been known to deliberately break off pieces of the coral for souvenirs. Inexperienced snorkelers are likely to accidentally step on, trample and break the coral as they attempt to explore.

An increase in tourism leads to an increase of trash and waste. When littering and pollution occurs, this not only damages the Great Barrier Reef but the entire ecosystem. Pieces of trash have been known to get caught onto coral and eventually cause damage as it blocks it from the sun, thus preventing photosynthesis. The decreased quality of the water and limited access to sunlight leads to bleaching and death within the coral.

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Economic and Tourism Impacts

The Great Barrier Reef is a priceless global wonder that needs to be protected from the effects of global warming but with coral bleaching taking a hold of the reef as of now we must act now to protect the reef and the tourism industry that gives the reef its value. The reef contributes $6.4 billion into the national economy, has added 64,000 jobs in 2015-16, and is worth $56 billion in total economic, social, and icon asset value according to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. That compares to more than 12 Sydney Opera Houses. This $56 billion asset is split into three groups of value. $29 billion is derived from Australians who have visited the reef as tourists. $24 billion is from Australians who have not visited the reef but basically value knowing that it exists. Finally, $3 billion is derived from Australians that are recreational users of the Reef. These individuals are going to the beach, taking the boat out, and driving on the weekends. The reef is critical to supporting economic activity and jobs in Australia as a whole. The livelihoods and businesses it support across Australia far exceeds the number supported by many industries we would consider too big to fail.

With the threat of global warming and the recent major coral bleaching of parts of the reef many Australians are worried that tourism will have a downturn which would be terrible for the national economy. In fact, according to a survey by the “Australian Institute” say that if coral bleaching persists into the future, large numbers of potential visitors to the reef say they are more likely to go to another country altogether or at least to other parts of Australia. According to the "Australian Institute", 55 percent of Chinese respondents say they would be more likely to travel to another country all together, with 63 percent saying they would be more likely to travel to somewhere else in Australia. More than one third of Americans would be more likely to visit another country, with 42 percent more likely to go to other areas of Australia. UK visitors are least likely to choose another country, but more than a quarter of UK respondents would be less likely to visit Australia if bleaching continues. This doesn’t look good for the tourism industry which is a crucial part of Australia. The government needs to start doing their part in combating climate change as well as other countries so that the reef can begin to heal.