Opportunities and Threats in the Great Barrier Reef

1. Oppotunities

1.1. 2 Million tourists every year

1.2. They earn £5-6 billion pounds per year

1.3. Lots of jobs out of offer

1.4. Tourism makes lots of money by having activities such as; Diving, Snorkeling, Boat Trips, Fishing and Sightseeing.

1.5. This is a good opportunity for Australia to gain tourism and money.

2. Important

2.1. There is 25% of marine life

2.2. 10% of the worlds fish are in the GBR

2.3. it is 20 million years old, but was only discovered in 1770.

2.4. There are 1664 different species, such as fish, sharks and whales.

2.5. The GBR is the Largest coral reef system is the world.

2.6. The GBR is 1,400 miles long, making it the same size as 70 million football fields.

2.7. There are 2,500 individual reefs.

2.8. In 1981 the UNESCO world heritage sight took charge of The great barrier reef

2.9. The GBR can be seen from space because it is so big.

2.10. There are 215 different species of bird and 6 species of turtle.

3. Location

3.1. The Great Barrier Reef is Located on the North East Coast of Australia, Queensland.

3.2. It is located in the Southern Hemisphere

3.3. The Latitude is 16 and 145 degrees

3.4. The GBR is located in the Coral Sea.

3.5. The GBR is the same size as some countries such as Italy or Germany.

4. Threats

4.1. There are lots of Cots. Cots are a type of starfish and they eat the other coral. This is bad because the population of coral will decrease.

4.2. Bleaching is a big threat to the GBR. Bleaching is when the coral is poisoned by the heat of the water from the sun. When the coral becomes too warm it turnes white.

4.3. Climate change is a very big threat because it causes coral bleaching

4.4. There are 15 venomous snakes and 7 snakes which could be dangerous if you went diving/swimming.