Amidst the unprecedented economic turmoil caused by COVID-19, Great Barrier Reef tourism businesses and workers have joined with the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) to demand climate action following the release of maps that capture the scale of the current mass coral bleaching event.
The maps produced by Professor Terry Hughes from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University show the scale of the third mass coral bleaching event in five years that has been triggered by climate change.
Cairns-based Deborah Dickson-Smith, from Diveplanit Travel said: “We love the Great Barrier Reef – it’s big, beautiful and diverse – and these bleaching surveys once again highlight the importance of tackling climate change to give it the best chance for the future.
“Prime tourist sites offshore from Port Douglas, Cairns and the Whitsundays have mercifully avoided severe bleaching, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority saying corals in these areas should recover. This is good news as we look to the other side of this pandemic. But we know that our Reef is under serious threat from climate change and we need our leaders to put in place strong climate and energy policies to protect its future and that of our businesses.”
Tanya Murphy from Divers for Reef Conservation said: “Our beautiful Reef not only sustains marine life, it supports thousands of tourism and hospitality jobs like mine, and in normal times, generates $6 billion for the Australian economy.
“When travel restrictions lift, the gorgeous natural world is going to help us heal and reconnect. We are going to need our Great Barrier Reef and the people who help us discover its wonders more than ever.
“It makes sense that governments provide short term support to help Reef businesses get through this tough time and long term climate policies that give our Reef the best chance for the future for all our sakes.”
David Cazzulino, AMCS Great Barrier Reef campaigner, said: “This is climate change impacting our Reef from the north to the south. It shows the urgent need for Reef-safe climate policies to protect our Reef and the communities that love and rely on it.
“Tourism operators reveal the beauty of our iconic Great Barrier Reef to the world. We need to support them in the short and long term by demanding government policy that gets industries through this pandemic and sustains the Reef and their livelihoods long term. The only way to do that is take action to cut our emissions.
“Only bold action on climate change will give our Reef the best chance for the future. We need our Governments to deliver Reef-safe climate policies that phase out polluting fossil fuels and invest in job-rich projects to hasten the transition to renewable energy.”
ENDS
Media grabs from Deborah Dickson-Smith, Tanya Murphy and David Cazzulino are available here.
Media contact: Jo Manning 0405 567228 / [email protected]
AMCS is hosting a webinar about the coral bleaching event with Professor Morgan Pratchett from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University this Thursday at 12:30pm. For more event details and to register, click here.
Picture caption: Bleached reef at Magnetic Island, Townsville March 2020 (Pic Victor Huertas)