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Keeping the Barrier Reef ‘Great’ for future
generations requires the cooperative effort
of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service, other government agencies, the
marine tourism industry and other
stakeholders. By working together, the
diversity, integrity and productivity of the
Great Barrier Reef can be maintained and the
impacts of all activities in the Marine Park
can be minimised. The goal is to provide for
the protection, wise use, understanding and
enjoyment of the Great Barrier Reef in
perpetuity.
The waters of the Great Barrier Reef provide
the world's busiest and most varied marine
habitats. Marine life is in abundance.
Visible from the moon, the Great Barrier
Reef system is the largest of the world’s
552 World Heritage Areas, covering some
347,000 sq km with more than 2800 catalogued
reefs in the area.
Although stretching for more than 2000
kilometres offshore of Queensland, it is
only at Cape Tribulation, just north of Port
Douglas, that the reefs come right to the
shore and meet the tropical rainforests of
the Wet Tropics. With over 1000 islands,
which are easily accessible from North
Queensland and coastal cities like Cairns
and Port Douglas, these coral islands have
become very popular tourist attractions.
Accommodation on the islands that are
inhabited ranges from camping grounds to
bungalows to luxurious resorts. |
