Keep the Coral Floral!

Coral reefs are a very important part of Australia, the environment and the world as they provide a vital home for much of the world’s marine life and ecosystems as well as playing a major role in Australia’s tourism, bringing money into our country and providing many job opportunities.

Coral bleaching is when the coloured algae within the coral are driven away by coral polyps (small soft bodied organisms) which are attracted by rising water temperatures. The coloured algae are vital for the coral’s health as the correlated relationship between the two aids a stable recycling of nutrients in nutrient poor tropical waters.  As much as 90% of the photosynthetic materials produced by the algae are transferred to the coral tissues.

This change in the coral quality is making ocean waters more acidic and therefore harder for marine life to live in, affecting marine life all the way up the food chain.

In 2017, 75% of the world’s coral reefs had been left bleached leaving 30% of it completely dead. In 2002, 54% of Australia’s corals were bleached, including a tragic 93% of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

We are writing this petition to request the Federal Minster for the Environment Sussan Ley, and the QLD State Minister for the environment Leeanne Enoch to fund more coral nurseries in badly affected areas, more coral reef sanctuaries and to restrict snorkelling in healing reef area as the oils from sunscreen and the human body are also bad for the coral’s health.

Coral reefs are a big part of what makes Australia so special. The decreasing health of Ningaloo Reef and the Great Barrier Reef in particular, means loss of marine life and a lot less money from tourism. We can’t stop climate change, we can’t stop coral bleaching, it’s inevitable, but we can slow it down and reverse some of the damage already evident.  We just have to take the time and care to do it.

Thank you for your support.

Tayla & Megan