TRANSCRIPT
“So the summer 23-24 has been quite a momentous one for the Great Barrier Reef. We've had continued ongoing outbreaks of Crown of Thorns starfish, particularly in the southern Great Barrier Reef. That's been ongoing for a few years now. And then we had two tropical cyclones that went across the reef.”
That’s Dr Mike Emslie from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Australians all know about the Great Barrier Reef.
They know it’s the only structure on earth visible from space.
They know it has unique biodiversity.
They know it’s very special.
And they know it’s under threat.
“This was probably the worst bleaching event we've had in terms of the spatial extent of the really severe categories of bleaching. Certainly, it's the first time that the southern Great Barrier Reef has seen extensive widespread bleaching like we saw unfold this year.”
Coral bleaching is caused when the sea gets too warm. The living coral expels the symbiotic algae so the coral turns white.
The coral isn’t dead - but it is under stress and in danger of dying and needs time to recover.
“And that's what we're not seeing at the moment. So if we can take meaningful action on curbing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing global warming, then yeah, the reefs do have a future.”
But warming water is not the only threat.
Crown of Thorns starfish are voracious killers which feed on coral.
They can have up to 21 arms, hundreds of toxin-tipped thorns, a taste for coral, and can occur in plague proportions.
Their spines are covered in a toxin which deters any predators.
They can kill up to 90 per cent of the corals on an affected reef.
And the reef is also affected by cyclones, and flood waters flowing into the sea from the land lowering salinity.
Informing the public about the situation on the reef is one of the aims of the Master Reef Guide program, set up five years ago by marine biologist Fiona Merida.
She grew up in Melbourne, but now lives in Townsville, much closer to the Great Barrier's location - off the coast of Queensland.
She says most people are very aware of the Reef and what's going on there - but away from northern Queensland, it's a different story:
“When I come to the big cities and I watch people moving around, and I know the life of a big city, this nature and these sort of things get sort of pushed to the side of your brain as you're going through.”
And that's where Master Reef Guides - or ambassadors - come in.
Ms Merida - who is now the Director of Education for the Great Barrier Reef Authority - realised that tourists were seeing the reef, but not understanding it.
At the same time, tourist operators were aware that they didn't know enough to answer all the visitors' questions - and more knowledgeable people were needed to have those conversations.
“So let's empower the best people on your staff with our knowledge, so they're a direct chain from our information to them, and they're professionals.”
Master Reef Guides actually work for and with tourism operators, and they’re the ones tasked with educating and inspiring visitors.
As reef ambassadors they pass on up-to-date scientific and management information about the reef and explain what people can do to make a difference.
“What we focus on in education is this care, learn, act, share idea. And so our first step is trying to instill somewhere in people a care for the reef. And the care really comes from some form of understanding.”
There are currently 123 Master Reef Guides located across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park who've been through intensive training, learning from experts, from each other, and from traditional owners.
And that's what's passed on to visitors.
One of the longest serving guides is Eric Fisher.
“This is the beautiful thing about tourism. It can create a global movement of people interested in the Great Barrier Reef, really caring for the Great Barrier Reef. They've gone to the reef. They've experienced it. They've seen it. They've loved it! I really hope my kids, my friends get a chance to see this.”
Mr Fisher works on a custom-built 'floating lab' on Moore Reef, 50 kilometres off the coast of Cairns.
He's a professional marine biologist, and he says collecting data about the reef brings him what he describes as 'unfathomable joy'.
But his favourite thing is guiding snorkel tours of the reef, sharing his love for it, and telling stories about it.
“What we know is because we make people incredibly happy through story, right? We've made them really form a connection with the Great Barrier Reef. And if you've got a connection to the Great Barrier Reef - and First Nations People will tell you this, you know, over thousands of years - you are going to feel more empowered to do something to conserve this beautiful natural asset in the future.”
He says the ultimate aim is for everyone to play their part in protecting the reef.
“The Great Barrier Reef is a beautiful, dynamic place that's having challenges; and the biggest challenge is climate change, and we need to take some serious action on that.”
