However the Reef did suffer severe damage under the weight of the
ship, wrenched to and fro by tides and currents, crushing the fragile
living corals underneath and smearing them with the hull’s toxic
paint, according to the AP report.
Graeme Kelleher, former head
of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, provided the following
insights into the significance of the Great Barrier Reef and of coral
reefs in general. Animal Beat contacted Kelleher via email.
GRAEME KELLEHER ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:
"The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) generates more than $5 billion annually, mainly from tourism. The whole nation is proud of it.
"It
is regarded internationally as one of the best protected reefs in the
world, being enclosed in a World Heritage Area and the Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park.
"Ecologically, the GBR protects most of the
Queensland coast (i.e. more than 2,200 kilometers) from erosion and the
destructive effects of storms. The biological diversity of the GBR is
very high—more than 350 species of reef-building corals and more
than 1,500 species of fish.
"The Great Barrier Reef contains many
outstanding examples of important and significant natural habitats for
in situ conservation of species of conservation significance,
particularly resulting from the latitudinal and cross-shelf
completeness of the region.
"It contains more than 2900 individual reefs, covering more than 24,000 square kilometres, as well as about 980 islands."
As
for the value of coral reefs in general, Kelleher said, “They are
important ecologically, economically and socially. In many parts of the
developing tropical world, coastal communities depend primarily on
reefs for food and protection from storm-generated waves.”
Kelleher
has also served as Vice-Chairman, Marine, of the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature's World Commission on Protected Areas,
and as project manager for various Marine Protected Area projects in a
number of countries.
See Kelleher's comments about the need for special marine pilots to guide ships in the GBR area.
Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is the author of 17 novels for
publishers including Avon, E.P. Dutton, and Simon & Schuster, and
hundreds of articles for publications such as National Geographic
Traveler, San Francisco Chronicle, and Veggie Life. She wrote a
teleplay for CBS and short fiction for The Bark magazine. With coauthor
Shelley Frost, she wrote Your Adopted Dog
(The Lyons Press). Holding a B.A. in Environmental Science Studies and
a lifelong interest in animal issues, she spends a lot of her time
battling a severe addiction to dogs.
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