Essay Process (Draft 2)

Each year more than 1.8 million tourists have visited the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (Butler, 2005). Ecotourism is now one of the fastest-growing sector. With globalization, people can travel more accessibly across different countries to participate in ecotourism adventures such as diving and snorkelling. Chamy (2012) highlights that as much as ecotourism needs globalization to grow, it is due to ecotourism that globalization has become such an important aspect of interaction across geographic spaces. Diving has become one of the few popular ecotourism adventures. However, the increase in the number of divers have caused rapid deterioration of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef. Other consequences include the extinction of species and negative impacts on the locals. Because divers are responsible for the depletion of corals, the Australian government should provide adequate education to divers and sufficient funds in supporting corals preservation, thereby preventing the loss of coral diversity. Collaborative efforts among the divers, government and non-profit organizations are needed to reduce the negative impacts on the corals. 

Countries like Australia has been promoting and investing in ecotourism activities like diving, attempting to boost their financial reserves. However, the increase in number of divers have caused serious damage to the corals. Scientific evidence have shown that the Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral cover in the last 27 years, and 95% of its living coral could be lost by 2050 (Whiteman, 2012).

The loss of coral diversity is one of the negative consequences caused by the divers. Many inexperienced divers kick and break corals as they swim. For example, frenzied kicking from diver’s fins can cause serious damage to the corals. Some divers may touch or even remove corals from the sea, which ultimately kills the corals. Butler (2005) convincingly argues that if the breaking down of corals continues, it would result in permanent loss of marine ecosystem. There may also be a possibility of species extinction. Experiments have proven that repeated breakage of corals caused by intensive diving, may lead to a reduction in coral’s sexual reproduction (Pilcher, 2012). Therefore, it is important to let damaged corals have enough time to recover, or else it may result in corals extinction. Corals extinction will in turn negatively affect the species that depends on them. For example, the fishes that depend on corals for food and habitat may go extinct too. In addition, ship fuels and litters thrown by divers can cause water pollution, which also contributes to deterioration of corals. Another problem caused by the divers is that they may indirectly affect the local’s standards of living. This is because the loss of corals will affect the locals who depend on them for food and income. Butler (2005) further convincingly argues that in the Great Barrier Reef, more than 500 million people live within 100 kilometres of coral reefs rely on reefs for their daily subsistence.

The first solution to coral depletion is to educate and encourage the divers to adopt a coral-friendly attitude. Government plays a big part in encouraging divers to become passionate environmental stewards for the corals. For example, government can educate the divers to limit their interactions with corals and avoid walking near them. Divers must also be properly trained, in order to reduce the negative impacts on the corals. Lonne (2012) highlights that to be a reef-friendly diver, one must have proper buoyancy control and movement underwater. Furthermore, government can also encourage divers to support non-profit organization such as Coral Reef Alliance, Reef Relief, and the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation.  

The second solution is to ensure that government provides sufficient funds for corals preservation. For example, the Australian government pledged to reduce the damage to the corals in the Great Barrier Reef. The Australian government has recently invested $208 million in its Reef Rescue program (Wardell, 2013). In addition, the Great Barrier Reef was also designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, which provides further protection to the coral reef system (Milman, 2013).

Lastly, government can charge diving fees from divers, which may be useful in controlling the number of divers. For the Great Barrier Reef, divers must pay an Environmental Management Charge (EMC). According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the money generated from EMC can be used by the management for education, research, policy development and corals conservation. The Australian government can also limit the number of divers allowed in a dive site at one time. This is to ensure that corals are given enough time to recover. Research have shown that when human disturbances are reduced, corals can recover by themselves more quickly (Watts, 2013). 

It is of paramount importance to increase the divers’ awareness towards corals conservation. Educating the divers can be seen as the most effective solution as it requires lesser cost to implement. However, it is important to recognize that the Australian government also plays a major role in corals conservation through provision of funds and support. Therefore, effective corals conservation needs collaborative efforts among the divers, government and non-profit organizations. 





References

Butler, R. (2005, November 17). Coral reefs decimated by 2050. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from Mongabay: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1117-corals.html

Chamy, A. (2012). Globalization and the paradox of ecotourism. Accessible Sustainable Ecotourism: Necessary Market Adjustment in a New Age of Travel, 2. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Ecotours: http://www.ecotourdirectory.com/ecotourism/articles/globalization-and-the-paradox-of-ecotourism.php

Lonne, T. (2012). A scuba diver’s impact on a coral reef. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Dive.in: http://www.dive.in/articles/a-scuba-divers-impact-on-a-coral-reef/#comments

Milman, O. (2013, June 16). Great Barrier Reef on the brink as politicians bicker. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/16/barrier-reef-un-heritage-status

Australian Government, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). Visitor contributions. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/visitor-contributions

Wardell, J. (2013, January 31). Australian government pledges to protect Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/01/australia-barrierreef-idUSL4N0B100I20130201

Watts, A. (2013, April 7). Good news about coral reefs- they recovered from warming. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Watts up with that: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/04/07/good-news-about-coral-reefs-they-recovered-from-warming/

Whiteman, H. (2012, October 3). Australia vows to reverse great barrier reef's coral decline. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from CNN: http://www.cnn.com.sg/2012/10/03/world/asia/australia-great-barrier-reef-coral/index.html