GREAT BARRIER REEF, QLD
In this image taken from the air, the Great Barrier Reef looks exquisite, finished like a bejewelled work of art set in resin. This, one of the seven wonders of the natural world, stretches a whopping 346,000 square kilometres, which is equal to the size of 70 million football fields. And it is, according to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), “one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on Earth”.
GBRMPA chief scientist Dr David Wachenfeld says while it’s impossible to talk about the Great Barrier Reef without touching on aspects of climate change, the reef is – after four years of relatively benign weather – “showing strong signs of recovery in many places”.
GBRMPA works closely with scientists and tourism operators to protect the world’s largest reef ecosystem, which stretches from the tip of
