The Great Barrier Reef shows signs of recovery | Environment

After the terrible warnings of the disappearance of the reefs after massive coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017, Tourism and Events Queensland has released a "positive update" on the Australian Great Barrier Reef. "

According to the report recently released by the Queensland State Government, the Reef & Rainforest Research Center non-profit research center has shown signs of recovery following a milder summer in 2017-2018.

Extending over 1430 miles along Queensland's spectacular coastline, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's longest barrier reef and the first coral reef ecosystem to receive UNESCO World Heritage status. .

Coral bleaching occurs when corals experience stress from rising water temperatures or poor water quality. In response, the coral ejects a photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which eliminates the distinctive color of the coral. If stress conditions persist, the coral will die, the report says, but if the conditions return to acceptable levels, some corals can reabsorb the substance and recover.

RRRC, in cooperation with the Association of Marine Parks Tourism Operators, has conducted detailed surveys of key tourist sites around the city of Cairns in 2016 and 2017 and indicates that some reefs heavily affected by bleaching show Significant signs of improvement.

According to RRRC General Manager Sheriden Morris, coral bleaching occurs in several stages, ranging from the equivalent of a mild sunburn to coral mortality.

"When a reef is reported as" whitewashed "in the media, it often leaves out a critical detail about the severity of bleaching, how deep the bleaching has occurred and whether it will cause permanent damage to the coral on this site, "Morris said in the statement, adding that the coral reef" has a significant ability to recover from health effects like bleaching events. "

Reports that the entire reef is dead due to significant bleaching are "patently false," Morris said. However, he warns that the recovery depends on "environmental conditions" and that the reef "could suffer further discolouration as the climate continues to warm up".

The total bleaching impact of 2016, which damaged or destroyed 30% of the reef's shallow coral, has not yet been fully evaluated, according to a report released Tuesday by the Nature Research Journal.

Deeper reefs are often considered a safe haven against thermal anomalies such as those encountered in 2016 and 2017, but the report argues that mass-laundering reefs threaten shallow and deep reefs; Even when the colder water rise (which replaces the warmer waters pushed off by the winds) stopped at the end of the summer, the temperatures at depth reached record levels . According to the report, researchers found bleached coral colonies up to 131 feet below the surface of the ocean.

News of the recovery comes just two months after RRRC co-hosted the Great Barrier Reef Symposium in Cairns, bringing together more than 300 scientists, engineers and marine tourism representatives from 14 countries. under the threat of warming climates.

In April, the Australian federal government announced a $ 379 million grant for the Great Barrier Reef to address challenges such as climate change, coral-eating starfish and water quality.

Deloitte Access Economics has estimated the reef at $ 40 billion in 2017, based on the fact that the reef supports tens of thousands of jobs and contributes $ 4.6 billion a year to the Australian economy.