Climate change is the biggest threat for the Great Barrier Reef, and reefs worldwide. Other key threats include poor water quality, fishing impacts on protected and threatened species, marine debris and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, says the Australian Government. Another threat is ocean litter, which hurts and even kills marine wildlife. But there are ways we can prevent these problems, like recycling, and using renewable energy. Renewable energy includes wind power, solar power, bioenergy (organic matter burned as a fuel) and hydroelectric, including tidal energy.

The Australian Government also has a 2050 reef plan. In 2015, the Australian and Queensland governments released the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. This was in response to the World Heritage Committee’s recommendation that Australia develop a long-term plan to protect the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef.  The reef 2050 plan is based on scientific research, analysis, and lessons learnt over 4 decades of management. It means that lots of marine biologists, scientists, and even locals can help save the Great Barrier Reef.

 The Great Barrier Reef needs protecting, because it’s the biggest reef in the ocean and it is home to thousands of wildlife. If we can save it, we can save animals, plants, and even ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef is really important to protect because in 50 years it is estimated that about 90% of the world’s reefs will disappear, which makes it critical that we help to save not only the Great Barrier Reef, but all reefs.

There are many ways that people can help save the Great Barrier Reef, one of them being reducing your plastic use, which is very important, because over 100,000 marine animals and 1 million seabirds are killed by plastic pollution and by 2050, plastic is expected to outnumber fish. Another way to help save the GBR is to buy responsibly sourced seafood, because seafood is a crucial source of protein for 3.3 billion people around the globe. But to ensure we have seafood for years to come, it’s important that we know where it comes from and how it’s caught or farmed, and you can recognise this by looking for the green ASC label (Australian Submarine Corporation).