Research: Great Barrier Reef is no more resilient as before

As per a recent research by scientists of AIMS (Australian Institute of Marine Science) and University of Queensland,  Great Barrier Reef is not more resilient as it was before as its ability to recover has decreased due to many factors like coral bleaching, cyclones, and water quality.

Great Barrier Reef

The great barrier reef is the largest living thing on the earth visible from the space. It is 2300 km long ecosystem near Queensland in north Australia. It is home of a number of sea species. There are more than 600 types of corals and approximately a thousand islands. The GBR is a world heritage site with an area of approximately 3.5 lakh square kilometers. It has been a very popular tourist destination in Australia.

As per Dr. Ortiz, author of University of Queensland’s’ school of biological science and AIMS, this is the first time a drop in a recovery rate of this amount has been observed.

Results indicate that coral recovery is more depends on water quality which is suppressed by factors like cyclones over past years. If the quality of water entering reef is improved, there are more chances of high recovery in some reef.

A 500 million AUD package has been assigned by the federal government this year for the GBR, but experts say it will not be enough. The GBR was affected heavily due to coral bleaching and climate change during the year 2016-17. This package is given to improve water quality and scientific research to protect the reef.