Great Barrier Reef
"Intricate, up-close and like nowhere else on earth."
This famous and beautiful reef system is the largest in the world, has been given a World Heritage status and can be seen from space. It stretches along the North East coast of Australia over more than 2,300 km and contains more than 2900 separate coral reefs. It is a strip of reef that is known to be the most diverse ecosystem in the world, containing over 1,500 species of fish, 350 hard coral species and 150 soft coral species along with other marine creatures like dugongs, turtles, molluscs and sponges. Surrounding this reef system is an area over 2000 km² of the worlds most important mangrove habitats and other habitats such as the 6000 km² of seagrass beds.
The reef is a not only a hive of endemic species and biodiversity but it is, for most coastal populations, a way of life. It is a producer of food, a way for people to maintain their culture and for most a main source of income through tourism. "The Great barrier reef region sustains a variety of commercial and recreational activities and livelihoods including fishing, tourism and recreation, worth r in excess of $5 billion Australian dollars per annum to the Australian economy"-Australian Government.
This famous and beautiful reef system is the largest in the world, has been given a World Heritage status and can be seen from space. It stretches along the North East coast of Australia over more than 2,300 km and contains more than 2900 separate coral reefs. It is a strip of reef that is known to be the most diverse ecosystem in the world, containing over 1,500 species of fish, 350 hard coral species and 150 soft coral species along with other marine creatures like dugongs, turtles, molluscs and sponges. Surrounding this reef system is an area over 2000 km² of the worlds most important mangrove habitats and other habitats such as the 6000 km² of seagrass beds.
The reef is a not only a hive of endemic species and biodiversity but it is, for most coastal populations, a way of life. It is a producer of food, a way for people to maintain their culture and for most a main source of income through tourism. "The Great barrier reef region sustains a variety of commercial and recreational activities and livelihoods including fishing, tourism and recreation, worth r in excess of $5 billion Australian dollars per annum to the Australian economy"-Australian Government.