The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned the Australian government on Saturday that it may downgrade the World Heritage status of the Great Barrier Reef as early as next year. UNESCO is assessing 43 federal and local government projects that could cause further destruction to the reef, and has cautioned that the site may be reclassified as a “World Heritage Site in Danger,” unless “urgent and decisive action” is taken to preserve the surrounding environment.

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Post tags: australia, environmental destruction, Great Barrier Reef, reef rescue, UNESCO, United Nations, water pollution, water runoff, world heritage site, world heritage status

An alarming new study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) shows that the Great Barrier Reef has lost 50% of its coral cover over the past 27 years. The scientific group have attributed the loss to storm damage (48%), the growth of the Crown of Thorns starfish (42%) and bleaching (10%). In a study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team noted that unless efforts are made to stop the coral loss, the reef will not be able to adapt to these challenges.

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Post tags: AIMS, australian institute of marine science, Climate Change, coral loss, coral reef, crown of thrones starfish, global warming, Great Barrier Reef, reef damage, rising sea levels, starfish

Read the rest of Google Adds Underwater Panoramic Sea Views To Study the World’s Reefs & Promote Awareness

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Post tags: catlin group, catlin seaview survey, coral reefs, diving, eco design, environmental awareness, Google, Google maps, google sea view, Google Street View, Great Barrier Reef, ocean awareness, pacific ocean, reef study, scuba diving, seaview, Street View, streetview, underwater panoramas, water issues

Just a few days after Australia officially created the world’s largest marine reserve, the President for the Republic of Maldives has announced that the state will become the first country to be a marine reserve—making the Maldives the single largest marine reserve in the world. Speaking at the 1st Plenary Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development at the Rio+20 Conference, President Dr Mohamed Waheed highlighted the environmental challenges faced by the country as well as the conservation work it has been performing, such as making the Baa Atoll the first UNESCO Biosphere reserve.

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Post tags: australia marine park, Great Barrier Reef, Maldives, maldives marine reserve, marine conservation, marine park network, ocean conservation, ocean protection, president waheed, rio+20, sustainable practices, the maldives, wwf

Australia just announced that it has officially created the world’s largest marine reserve, setting an impressive precedent for other countries when it comes to protecting the world’s oceans. The reserve consists of a series of marine parks that cover more than one third of the Commonwealth waters of Australia, a milestone which the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) has said they have been working towards for more than 15 years. The announcement comes just days before the official start of the Rio+20 Conference.

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Post tags: australia marine park, Great Barrier Reef, marine conservation, marine park network, ocean conservation, ocean protection, rio+20, wwf

A broken-down cargo ship in waters off the Australian coast drifted out-of-control towards the Great Barrier Reef recently, threatening one of the largest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet. The Great Barrier Reef, which is also a World Heritage-listed site and a recognized maritime nature reserve, was put in jeopardy by the stricken vessel as crews on board worked to stabilize the engine and avert a potential environmental disaster.

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Post tags: australia environment, ecosystem destruction, Great Barrier Reef, great barrier reef broken down ship, great barrier reef wreck, id integrity, out of control freighter

A team from Stanford University have released a report that states ecological chains worldwide are being damaged by human influence. Mankind’s impact on the natural world is a subject of constant debate and controversy. While there are those that believe we are fundamental in destroying the world around us, others believe the planet and survive and adapt to anything we do to it. But this recent study, conducted in a remote area of the Pacific, found that our interventions in nature lead to significant losses of population in different ecosystems.

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Post tags: australian institute of marine science, conservation, coral egg and sperm, cryo freezing coral, endangered coral species, Environment, freezing coral samples, Great Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef coral, Palmyra Atoll, Palmyra Atoll ecochains, Palmyra Atoll ecosystems, Palmyra Atoll manta rays, Palmyra Atoll stanford, reef pollution, rising sea temperatures, stanford ecosystems, stanford university ecochains

Can you imagine taking a deep dive into the largest natural coral formation on Earth without leaving your desk? A joint effort between Google, the University of Queensland, and the Caitlin Group will soon allow you to explore into Australia‘s Great Barrier Reef through any device connected to the Internet. Dubbed the Catlin Seaview Survey, the project will study how tiger sharks, green turtles, manta rays, and other creatures are affected by global warming, while sharing the mysterious sea views with the world.

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Post tags: Animals, australia, Botanical, Diver Propulsion Vehicles, eco-travel, Faux Nature, Gizmodo, global warming, Google, Google Street View, Great Barrier Reef, robotics, the Caitlin Group, The Catlin Seaview Survey, underwater film, underwater photograph, University of Queensland, YouTube

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is an incredibly biodiverse spot that is home to countless forms of sea life – and now the Australian government has proposed plans to protect this vital site by turning it into the world’s largest marine reserve. The proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve will protect an immense area from oil and gas exploration, as well as damage caused by the fishing industry.

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Post tags: australia, Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve, environmental protection, Great Barrier Reef, marine reserve, sustainable design, world's largest marine reserve

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, located on Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is a vast underground cavern that holds almost every type of seed in the world. The idea behind it is that if there is ever a regional or global disaster, the Vault will be able to replicate the destroyed plant life. It is essentially a Noah’s Ark for the world’s plant population, and an insurance policy against an ecological nightmare. A similar idea is now being considered for the world’s coral species. Due to rising ocean temperatures, scientists from the United States and Australia are attempting to freeze coral eggs and sperm so that the endangered species can be preserved.

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Post tags: australian institute of marine science, conservation, coral egg and sperm, cryo freezing coral, endangered coral species, Environment, freezing coral samples, Great Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef coral, reef pollution, rising sea temperatures

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the greatest natural wonders on the planet and the only living thing that can be seen from space. It is also one of the cornerstones of the Australian tourism industry. However, rising CO2 levels and increasing levels of pollution are devastating the coral and a new report has stated that without prompt action there could be irreparable damage to the reef.

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Post tags: Australia pollution, Great Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef australian government, Great Barrier Reef bleaching, Great Barrier Reef climate change, Great Barrier Reef co2, Great Barrier Reef coral, Great Barrier Reef report, rising CO2 levels