Protecting the Coral Sea:
Covering about 1 million square kilometres – three times the size of the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef – the Coral Sea comprises a series of spectacular coral reefs formed by underwater mountains that rise thousands of metres from the sea floor.
The Coral Sea is a rare example of a marine environment that is thriving. Bountiful fish populations, including grey and white-tip reef sharks, hammerheads, manta rays, tuna, barracuda, turtles, whales and rare sea creatures like the nautilus inhabit these waters, alongside an incredibly diverse array of corals.
Globally, it’s a different story. Coral reefs are vanishing five times faster than the world’s rainforests and populations of large marine species, such as sharks and tuna, are estimated to have declined by up to 90% in many areas.
Its remoteness has largely spared the Coral Sea a similar fate. However, the area is largely unprotected, leaving it vulnerable to the same impacts that have devastated other marine regions, including sea-level rise caused by global warming, illegal fishing and large-scale oil and gas exploration.
What you can do to help
The time has come to protect this tropical marine wilderness. The Protect our Coral Sea initiative comprises of: the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Pew Environment Group – Australia, Project AWARE Foundation, Greenpeace International, Humane Society International, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wildlife Queensland, Queensland Conservation Council, North Queensland Conservation Council, National Parks Association of Queensland, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre.
We are calling on all Australians to urge the Australian Government to declare the entire Coral Sea region a Marine Protected Area. This would create the world’s largest marine park, protecting the Coral Sea before irreversible damage is done.
Everyone can take part in the process by making a submission to the Federal Government as part of this process. The simplest way to do that is by entering your details in the box on the right. Alternatively, you can write your own letter. Details of how to do that are here.
