Australia is fighting to save the Great Barrier Reef

A man snorkeling in an area called Coral Gardens, near Lady Elliot Island, on the Great Barrier Reef, northeast of Bundaberg, Queensland. (Photo by Reuters)

Ask four Australians why the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching and you will get four different answers.

A travel agent in Brisbane said it was because of the hurricane that struck last year. Another just down the street blames "a kind of starfish". A Cairns guide stated that bleaching was an integral part of the coral life cycle; another, near Port Douglas, calls it propaganda. He proclaims that the reef does not whiten at all.

About the size of Japan, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure in the world made up of living organisms and the third most popular tourist attraction in Australia (after its beaches and wildlife) . A world heritage site, it also supports 64,000 jobs and contributes $ 6.4 billion a year to the national economy.

Despite local suspicions, the reef whitens more frequently and more severely than ever before. In 2016, 30% of corals died. In 2017, the reef experienced an episode of unprecedented mass bleaching in modern times.

In the end, nearly half of the corals were dead on two-thirds of the reef. To date, no section of the Great Barrier Reef has yet experienced at least a slight bleaching.

Climate change is, of course, a global problem and the culprit for the accelerated disappearance of the reef. The atmosphere of the Earth is already warmer by 1 degree Celsius than at the beginning of the industrial revolution.

Even more alarming, it is expected to increase by 3 degrees by 2100. Even a rise of 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects, including the loss of 70% to 90% of the world's corals.

GBR is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. It is home to 400 types of corals and more than 1,500 species of fish. It contributes to the life cycle of 30 species of whales and dolphins, six of the seven species of marine turtles in the world, and the world's largest population of sea cows.

The reefs also protect life on land. The structures can blunt up to 95% of the energy of a wave, thus reducing coastal erosion.

But in Australia, not everyone wants to believe that the reef is in danger. A few weeks ago, the Reef & Rainforest Research Center, a non-profit group working with tourism operators, private foundations and universities, announced that it was showing "encouraging signs of recovery", message amplified enthusiastically by the Queensland Government, competent on the reef.

Scientists, however, were skeptical. Although it is possible that corals are recovering from whitening episodes, the recovery story "is biologically impossible," according to Professor Terry Hughes, a marine biologist at James Cook University in Townsville. "It's based on a press release, not science."

Australia has a conflicting economic relationship with environmental policy. Visitors are attracted by its natural beauty, but the country is the largest exporter of coal in the world.

From 2008 to 2014, the federal and state governments provided $ 17.6 billion in assistance to the mineral and fossil fuel industries, according to the Australian Institute. The Queensland government spent $ 9.5 billion, the highest amount of any state

The Australian government has put a lot of effort over the years to present the reef as healthy. In May 2016, the UN released a report on World Heritage sites threatened by climate change. The reef was named in the draft but omitted after lobbying the Australian Department of Environment and Energy.

As an explanation, the ministry issued a statement: "Recent experience in Australia has shown that negative comments on the status of World Heritage properties have an impact on tourism".

Corals are tiny translucent animals that attach to the bottom of the ocean. Their color comes from the algae living inside them. By using the sunlight with shelter and the carbon dioxide provided by the coral, the algae produce sugar and oxygen. Coral polyps also benefit from sugar while feeding on zooplankton.

When the water gets too hot, the algae produce too much oxygen. In the beginning, corals react by producing antioxidants. When this is not enough, they completely chase away the algae, revealing the white skeleton as a bone.

These "bleached" corals are not necessarily dead, but with the alga gone, they starve after eight weeks. This has occurred everywhere in the Great Barrier Reef.

Informing the public scientifically is a difficult battle under the best of circumstances, but it is especially difficult when our preconceptions about corals are false.

Imagine, if you will, a reef. What you probably imagine – deep blues, neon reds and groovy oranges splashed on each diver's Instagram feed – are most likely damaged corals. As a rule, according to Hughes, it's only when the corals are stressed that they start to "emit fluorescence". When the corals are healthy, the colors are much softer.

"Some people have no idea what they see," says marine biologist Joanna Leonhardt. "They have no idea what it was before laundering and they still think it's beautiful."

The media also plays a role in misinformation of the public. Journalists sometimes make "a translation mistake, where" coral loss "is reported as" the loss of reefs, "according to Hughes. "No scientist ever said that the reef was dead or that part of the reef was dead."

Hughes argues that the "alarmist tone" of the media is not helpful. "Our message has always been," It's never too late to save the reef, "he said, but there is still no viable plan to do it.

The previous government, led by Malcolm Turnbull, had the habit of funding dubious solutions, such as a recent $ 443 million grant awarded without a call for tenders to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a non-profit organization. company with 12 employees and business partners, including Melbourne-based Melbourne-based BHP Billiton. based in Rio Tinto, two of the largest mining companies in the world.

Another project, which used underwater fans to circulate deeper and colder water on stressed corals, was criticized for its potential "to increase the risk of heat stress, disease and bleaching".

"It's all about perception," says Hughes. The government would rather finance bad ideas than no ideas. When asked to comment, the current administration of Prime Minister Scott Morrison sent a copy of the press release announcing Turnbull's previous investment in the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Of course, public education can generate popular support for reef protection and, more broadly, the fight against climate change. But in doing so, some fear that the economy will suffer in the short term.

This fear came to light last January, when Colonel McKenzie, president of the Marine Parks Tourism Operators Association, asked the government to withdraw funds for Hughes' work. He argued that the teacher was hurting tourism with taxpayers' money.

In the short term, however, it appears that the decline of the reef has been a boon to reef tourism. According to data provided by the Great Park Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the number of visitors has actually increased since 2011.

"We have not seen any negative impact on people's visits or perception of the experience," said John O. Sullivan, managing director of Tourism Australia. Some even point out the vulnerability of the reef to attract tourists – come see it before it disappears, in other words.

Engaging visitors in conservation efforts can have a lasting effect. "You may be more likely to take action when you return home because you really have a link and a permanent link to the Great Barrier Reef," said Stewart Christie, founder of the Reef Restoration Foundation.

But such interactions, says Leonhardt, require a delicate balance. "If you empty a whole bunch of information about someone, you just have to put it back against a wall."