The Great Barrier Reef is a pride of Queensland, which is located on the north-east coast of Australia. It is renowned as the largest coral reefs in the world. It has more than 400 coral types , thousands of different species of fishes and hundreds mollusc types. It is one of the great places you must visit with your family, especially kids.
Unfortunately, the coral reefs are in threat due to the increasing rate of water pollution, plastic waste and carbon deposits in the environment. No matter where you live, near or far, make sure you do everything to keep coral reefs healthy and protected. Small changes to your lifestyle can make a huge difference. If you want your generations to experience the beauty of Great Barrier Reef, you need to follow practices to protect this heritage and beautiful corals for years.
Here are some important things you can do to protect the coral reefs:
Tips when Visiting the Great Barrier Reef:
1. Practice Safe Diving and Snorkelling
Do not touch reefs or anchor your boat on the reef. Touch or contacting the delicate reef will damage coral animals. Anchoring on the reef can disturb fishes and kill corals.
It is good to search for sandy bottom or try to use moorings.
Tip: Make sure you follow the overnight and live aboard diving tips when get into the blues.
2. Do Not Use Sunscreen
Of course, sunscreen is good for your skin. It can protect you from the direct UV rays but the ingredients in your sunscreen can harm coral reefs. Some can even kill coral animals. Instead, wear a long-sleeved shirt or rash guard for snorkelling.
Other Important Tips to Protect the Coral Reefs
It is good to follow the following practices to keep your environment, water bodies, and particularly the Great Barrier Reef. These are day-to-day practices that can make a huge difference:
1. Dispose of or Recycle Trash
Believe it or not! Marine debris can cause serious damage to coral reefs. Recycle your waste at home, especially plastic and always remember the three R’s:
- Reduce
- Reuse, and
- Recycle
When disposing of waste, make sure you do it in a proper way. Do not blow or wash away into oceans and waterways. When visiting beautiful beaches, be sure you don’t leave the trash like plastic bottles, wafer packets, etc behind and never leave any cigarette butts on the shores.
You can event attend local environmental organisations that clean up rivers and streams on a regular basis. Join them as a volunteer and protect the water bodies and ocean reefs.
2. Reduce the Use of Fertilizers
The excess exposure of fertilisers on gardens and lawns can harm the water quality as nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertiliser are removed into waterways and end up in oceans.
These nutrients pollute the water bodies and cause harm to the coral reefs in Queensland.
3. Use Eco-Friendly Modes of Transportation
It is good to opt for environmentally-friendly transportation modes when travelling to explore the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef Ecosystem.
Instead of driving a car, bike, etc, make sure you use public transport like buses, ferries and trains as much as possible.
If you want to buy a personal vehicle like a car or bike, look for a fuel-efficient one like a hybrid or electric car. Using these environmentally-safe transportation methods can reduce the amount of carbon gasses that are emitted into the atmosphere. These can contribute to ocean acidification and increased ocean temperature. This can increase the acidic property and affect coral growth.
4. Minimise Stormwater runoff
This can also reduce the water pollution and chances of flooding. If you want to protect water resources, install water catchments or rain gardens to collect rainwater that would otherwise be converted to storm drain if not collected.
Conclusion
These are some of the important tips or practices that can help you protect the Great Barrier Reef and its corals, fishes and other animals. You can protect the environment, water bodies and live corals by following these simple yet effective practices. If you want to explore Queensland Ocean Tour, visit the Great Barrier Reef with your family and loved ones.
