Essay Process (Final Draft)

According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, approximately 1.99 million tourists have visited the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Ecotourism is now one of the fastest-growing sectors. With globalization, people can travel more easily between 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 has caused rapid deterioration of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef. Scientific evidence has 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). 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 in the Great Barrier Reef. Collaborative efforts among the divers, government and non-profit organizations are needed to reduce the negative impacts on the corals. 

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. 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 continue, it will result in permanent loss of marine ecosystem. Therefore, it is important to let damaged corals have enough time to recover to prevent corals extinction. Corals extinction will in turn negatively affect the species that depend on them. For example, the fishes that depend on corals for food and habitat may go extinct too. Another problem caused by the divers is that they may indirectly affect the local’s standards of living. The loss of corals will affect the locals who depend on them for food and income. Butler (2005) further convincingly argues that for the Great Barrier Reef, more than 500 million people live within 100 kilometres of coral reefs rely on them for their daily subsistence.

The first solution to coral depletion is to educate and encourage the divers to adopt a coral-friendly attitude. For example, government can work together with National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) and Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to educate the divers to limit their interactions with corals. Divers must 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 Reef Relief and Coral Reef Alliance.

The second solution is for the Australian government to provide sufficient funds for corals preservation. For example, to reduce the damage to the corals in the Great Barrier Reef, the 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 and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) 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 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). 

Educating the divers can be seen as the most effective solution as it requires lesser cost to implement. The Australian government should work together with PADI and NAUI to increase divers’ awareness towards corals conservation. Coral depletion is not only a problem in Australia, but to the whole world as well. According to WWF, roughly one-quarter of coral reefs worldwide are considered damaged beyond repair, with another two-thirds under serious threat. Therefore, the solutions mentioned above can also be applied to the worldwide context, in order to prevent the loss of corals diversity. Effective corals conservation requires 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 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 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 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 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/16/barrier-reef-un-heritage-status

Australian Government, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). Great Barrier Reef tourist numbers. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/visitor-contributions/gbr_visitation/numbers

Australian Government, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). Visitor contributions. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from 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 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 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 http://www.cnn.com.sg/2012/10/03/world/asia/australia-great-barrier-reef-coral/index.html

World Wide Fund for Nature (n.d.). Coral reefs: threats. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/coral_threats/