ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies

Background on Coral Reef Protection Policy

Cambria Novelly, Environmental Studies Program, California State University, Monterey Bay

Images from the documentary “Chasing Coral” illustrate the damage global warming has caused to undersea ecosystems. (Netflix)

humans to have to farm fish. There is a limit

Coral Reef Degradation
Over the next 20 years, scientists
estimate that 70% of all coral reefs will
completely die off primarily as a result of
warming ocean waters, ocean acidity, and
pollution (Nace, 2020). Many species are
struggling to adapt fast enough to these new
conditions occurring on the planet. These
important marine ecosystems have been
struggling to sustain themselves more and
more in recent years, and their deterioration
of these coral reefs will greatly affect the
biodiversity of the reefs and marine life that
call them home. The degradation of coral
reefs is affecting the ocean in ways that will
be catastrophic for the human population as
well as biodiversity in the ocean. With coral
reefs pushed to the brink of extinction it will
also push the rest of the animals that rely on
the coral reefs to extinction (Tran et al.,
2019). This lack of fish on reefs will cause
to how much fish humans can farm and it is
not as much as the reef provides naturally.
Without the coral reefs, many small nations
that rely on fish as the main source of
protein and island-based nations will face
the possibility of starvation without fish on
the reefs to feed them (Dietzel,2020). The
degradation of coral reefs is a problem that
will affect the overall world. However, the
degradation of the Great Barrier Reef will
mainly affect Australia in ways that are not
always considered. If the Great Barrier Reef
is not protected then there will be no draw
of tourism to Australia to see this World
Heritage Site. There will be a loss of many
important fisheries. It will also affect the
number of exports of products that are
found because of the Great Barrier Reef. If
Australia does not change its management
practices all of these problems will cause a
possible collapse of Australia's economy
(Martin, 2021). Humans are the main cause
of coral degradation worldwide. Many
natural occurrences also affect the overall
health of a coral reef however humans have
sped up the process in many places. As well
as created new factors or made the already
natural factors more powerful in a variety of
different ways. One way is from the burning
of coal, oil, and gas, which speeds up the
process of global warming. That causes the
ocean temperature to rise and stresses out
corals to the addition of harmful chemicals
entering the water from offshore dumping,
chemical-based sunscreens, and shipping
activities (Turan, 2017). All these different
factors have sped up coral degradation and
added new challenges for coral reefs. The
main stakeholders that affect Australian
policies are government, environmental
organizations, the tourism industry, and the
commercial fishing industry. Protecting the
Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs overall
improves the health of all underwater
ecosystems. In protecting the Great Barrier
Reef it will lead to others following suit in
protecting their to help reef systems.

History and Scientific Background

Many different events are all coming
together to create coral bleaching and coral
degradation to the coral reef ecosystems all
over the world. The main issues that have
been occurring more frequently in recent
years are coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is
caused due to the warming ocean
temperatures, which are warmed at
excessive rates due to the burning of coal,
oil, and gas. Coral bleaching is happening
throughout the coral reef ecosystem.
Warmer water temperatures can result in
coral bleaching as well as harmful chemicals
(Alder, 2021). When water is too warm,
corals will expel the algae living in their
tissues causing the coral to turn completely
white. When a coral bleaches, it is not
always dead even though the coral appears
to be. Corals can survive a bleaching event,
but they are under more stress and are
subject to mortality (US Department of
1.1 Infographic about Australia and the Great Barrier
Commerce, 2010). Coral reefs can also
Reef
become bleached because of harmful

chemicals found in some sunscreen
products (Alder, 2021). Between the years
1997- 1998 coral bleaching became more
apparent in places like the Great Barrier
Reef. The summer of 1997 was one of the
hottest on record summers in Australia.
Mild bleaching started to occur in January
and slowly got more intense as the summer
continued. “A survey from that summer
revealed that 74% of inshore and 21% of
offshore reefs had moderate to high levels of
bleaching. The mass bleaching events
became more common in Australia with
another one taking place in the summer of
2001-2002, 2005-2006, 2008-2011, 2016,
and 2018.” (Australian Institute of Marine
Science, 2018) Coral bleaching is a very
destructive worldwide issue that occurs with
rising ocean temperatures. Mass coral
bleaching has been observed in corals when
the water temperature exceeds 1–2 C above
the monthly mean (Bellworthy, J., & Fine,
M.,2017). Coral bleaching leads to many
different issues such as declining
biodiversity. Biodiversity decline has
become more predominant as coral
bleaching has increased (Bellworthy, J., &
Fine, M.,2017). The biodiversity of the Great
Barrier Reef is great. There are
approximately 2,000 species that reside on
the Great Barrier Reef and it is home to ⅓ of
the world’s soft corals (Australia's Great
Barrier Reef under threat, 2015).
1.2 fluorescent pigment produced by coral on coral
surviving a bleaching event
Even though coral bleaching is a common
issue that is happening to many corals,
there are times when the bleaching happens
that the expelled algae can sometimes come
back and reattach to corals bringing them
back to life. However, corals cannot handle
this explosion of algae and then regain it too
many times. Nevertheless, some corals have
recently developed a kind of “sunscreen”.
This is an evolutionary change that not all
corals have developed (Bauer, A., 2018).
Certain corals have started to adapt and try
to form a defense against the stress that
causes coral bleaching. This “sunscreen” is a
form of thermotolerance. Thermotolerance
is an evolutionary change some species have
that allows them to survive exposure to a
temperature above the optimal for growth
(Bauer, A., 2018). The corals themselves are
producing a fluorescent pigment. This
fluorescent pigment is produced by the
corals to be used as a shield to protect the
zooxanthellae from high water temperatures
as well as the harmful effects of UV rays
(Bauer, A., 2018). Very little is still known
about this sunblock and it is not all corals
that are doing it. It is an evolutionary
adaptation that is occurring in a few corals
in limited locations around the world
(Bauer, A., 2018). However, it is bringing
forth hope that all corals will eventually be
able to adapt this way to protect themselves.
If coral reefs are to survive, policy needs to
be enacted to protect these limited locations
where corals are exhibiting these
adaptations. The current policy includes the
creation of marine protected areas (MPA)s.
The United States has recently enacted
many new policies in an effort to protect the
coral reefs in the territorial waters.
Policy context
Many people are hopeful for more
marine parks and marine reserves. It is
something that many people are advocating
for change in their areas. These
marine-protected areas or MPAs are not just
made for coral reefs. MPAs are in place to
protect every ocean creature in a specific
area as well as the plants and other marine
life in the surrounding area. It helps protect
the biodiversity in an area because it stops
fishing as well as extraction of other species
and material from protected areas (Tran et
al., 2019). MPAs protect areas from harmful
acts from entering the water and help Park and Other Legislation Amendment Act
protect them from further harm (Tran et al., 2008’s main goal was to bring the
2019). These policies have been becoming protection and management of the Great
more predominant. Australia has four Barrier Reef into the 21st century with new
organizations that are dedicated to technology and updated ways of managing
protecting and creating MPAs. The first is the Great Barrier Reef (Managing and
the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan protecting the Great Barrier Reef, 2021).
which plans on helping improve and protect The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and
the water flow around the Great Barrier Other Legislation Amendment Act 2008
Reef (Managing and protecting the Great puts into action ecosystem-based
Barrier Reef, 2021). It is mainly to help management is an integrated approach to
protect the Great Barrier Reef from managing an ecosystem and matters
agricultural runoff. The recent research was affecting the ecosystem. The International
done by the OECD there analysis showed Journal of the Commons’ analysis on the
that more than 80% of the Great Barrier Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Other
Reef has been recognized as the major cause Legislation Amendment Act 2008 states
of poor water quality (OECD ocean - water that it led to improvements in the ecological
quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine condition of the reef, particularly fisheries
Park 2017). Australian Greenhouse Office (Evans et al., 2014). Australia and the Great
Abatement is another program that Barrier Reef have many more protections
Australia has (Waters, L. 2013). It is to help currently as it is a large tourist attraction
offset the greenhouse gases. The GBR and a national heritage site. Australia has
Fisheries Management Plan is there to many protections for the Great Barrier Reef
protect and plan ways so that the Great as it is the main source of food and income
Barrier Reef is being fished safely and only for the country of Australia. Australia's
taking what is needed(Managing and Great Barrier Reef is so important to the
protecting the Great Barrier Reef, 2021). country that there are many stakeholders
The final protection is the Great Barrier involved in the policy-making of the reef.
Reef Marine Park Authority. The Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is the
main marine protection agency that protects
the entire Great Barrier Reef (Waters, L.
2013). There are similar concepts in the
United States. The United States has also
started to follow the example of the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority with the
Coral Reef Conservation Act (Waters, L.
2013). There have recently been new
amendments dealing with the fisheries in
the Great Barrier Reef. There also have been
many new acts passed raising more
protections for the Great Barrier Reef so
that it will stay protected and healthy for
future generations. The Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park and Other Legislation
Amendment Act 2008 is the main act that
places a modern regulatory system of
long-term protection and ecological
sustainability for the Great Barrier Reef
(Managing and protecting the Great Barrier
Reef, 2021). The Great Barrier Reef Marine
 act of 2000, which was then reauthorized in
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