Awesome places (:

Source: http://punchitin.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/all-i-want-for-christmas/

 

Giant turtle in the Great Barrier Reef! 

(Source: http://www.greatadventures.com.au/great-barrier-reef-info.html) 

The Great Barrier Reef with all it's wide array of corals! 

(Source: syngreenlight.wordpress.com/tag/ecotourism/)

  Clown fishes living in the anemone in the Great Barrier Reef  (Source: http://www.askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-diving-locales_1.html)  

Question 1:  

What is this place?   

-The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reef and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi).Rising off northeastern Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is actually more than 2,800 coral reefs. Thriving in clear, shallow, coastal waters of tropical seas, coral reefs boast a diversity of species rivaled only bt that of tropical rain forests. And like rain forests, reefs have declined drastically due to human actions. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space.  

Question 2:

(Question 5: To what extent are the locals dependent on the tourism of this place?) (Question 6: How has tourism impacted the Great Barrier Reef?) 

Done by: Abigail Chan (3), Yong Yuan Ning (27), 4M 

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Great Barrier Reef

Where is this place?

The Great Barrier Reef is 2000km long, starting just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the Queensland coastline from just north of Bundaberg (where you will find the Southern Reef Islands) right upto Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait.

 

Why do tourists visit this place?

Firstly, deep-blue views. The undersea views vary greatly, but even in the shallower or murkier spots you'll still see creatures you'd never otherwise encounter outside an aquarium. In prime viewing spots along the outer reef, and especially around Orpheus Island, the variety of coral and fish is incredible, and well worth the price you'll have to pay to access it. Next, reef explorations. There are thousands of spectacular dive sites scattered along the coral spine of the Great Barrier Reef. Some of the most famous, like Briggs Reef off Cairns, draw hundreds of divers and snorkelers a day with clouds of fish and coral formations, along with moray eels, stingrays, and the occasional white-tipped reef shark. Lastly, wildlife watching. Life in and around the water is why most people visit the Great Barrier Reef, but flora and fauna on the islands themselves can be fascinating. Some have rain forests, or hills and rocky areas, or postcard-perfect beaches. On Heron, Wilson, Lady Musgrave, or Lady Elliott, see green and loggerhead turtles flip-flop ashore to lay their eggs November through March. (How has tourism negatively affected the reefs?) Tourism has a negative impact, with fragile corals broken by reef walking, dropped anchors or by boats dropping fuel and other sorts of pollution. Even the number of people in the water with the associated run-off of sweat and suntan lotions may well have a negative impact on the fragile reef environment. (How has tourism brought about good economic impacts?) More than two million people visit the reef each year generating more than $AU2 billion in tourism dollars, making tourism a major earner for the north-eastern Australian economy. Tourists are carried to the reef system by more than 500 commercial vessels, and tourism is permitted through nearly all the Park.

What are the sources of information for this place?

www.greatbarrierreef.org/

http://www.australianexplorer.com/great_barrier_reef.htm

http://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/australia/great-barrier-reef/feature_30005.html http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/greatbarrierreef/

What is this place?

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 2600 kilometers, over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef supports a diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species, some of which may be endermic to the reef system.

Where is this place?

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. It reaches from Torres Strait (between Bramble Cay, its northernmost island, and the south coast of Papua New Guinea) in the north to the unnamed passage between Lady Elliot Island (its southernmost island) and Fraser Island in the south.

Why do tourists visit this place?

Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility from the floating guest facilities called 'live aboard', the reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers. Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef is concentrated in the Whitsundays and Cairns due to their accessibility, which make up 7% of the area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The Whitsundays and Cairns have their own Plans of Management. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer daily boat trips to the reef. Several continental and coral cay islands have been turned into resorts, including the pristine resort island of Lady Elliots Island. As of 1996, 27 islands on the Great Barrier Reef supported resorts. 

^{Domestic tourism made up most of the tourism in the region as of 1996, and the most popular visiting times were in the Australian winter. It was estimated that tourists to the Great Barrier Reef contributed $AU 776 million per annum at this time.}

^{As the largest commercial activity in the region, it was estimated in 2003 that tourism in the Great Barrier Reef generates over AU$4 billion annually. (A 2005 estimate puts the figure at AU$5.1 billion.) Approximately two million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. Although most of these visits are managed in partnership with the marine tourism industry, there is a concern amongst the general public that tourism is harmful to the Great Barrier Reef.}

^{A variety of boat tours and cruises are offered, from single day trips, to longer voyages. Boat sizes range from dinghies to superyachts. Glass-bottomed boats and underwater observatories  are also popular, as are helicopter flights. By far, the most popular tourist activities on the Great Barrier Reef are snorkelling and diving, for which pontoons are often used, and the area is often enclosed by nets. The outer part of the Great Barrier Reef is favoured for such activities, due to water quality..}

^{Management of tourism in the Great Barrier Reef is geared towards making tourism ecologically sustainable. A daily fee is levied that goes towards research of the Great Barrier Reef. This fee ends up being 20% of the GBRMPA's income. Policies on cruise ships, bareboat charters, and anchorages limit the traffic on the Great Barrier Reef.}

 What are the sources of information for this place?

 ^{- www.wikipedia.com}

^{www.flickr.com}