[INFOGRAPHIC] Why there is green hope for Great Barrier Reef!

Recently an obituary published for the Great Barrier Reef by Outside magazine went viral on the internet and shook up the world with it’s announcement that the global tourist attraction was now dead! Shocked, even UrbanMeisters trawled the internet to verify this. This is what we discovered and we covered it in our piece on eco-tourism Dos & Donts.
Here’s a recap in short:

• The reef isn’t dead yet! There’s hope! The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in it’s latest report said that the survey conducted between March and June of this year showed that 22 percent of the coral in the GBR died because of the 2016 bleaching event. This means a considerable portion of the reef is still alive, and can recover.

• On September 28, the Australian and Queensland governments released the first Reef 2050 Plan annual report, showing the $2 billion investment toward improving the reef’s health for future generations is paying off. The plan has accomplished 29 of its 151 intended actions, though it notes that the recovery process needs to be accelerated if they want to continue to be successful.

To understand all that’s happening with The Great Barrier Reef here’s a great info-graphic from our partners Fix.com to explain the ground situation to us in one simple visual. Fix.com is a lifestyle blog devoted to bringing expert content to make your life easier. They cover everything in and around your home, like landscaping, gardening, outdoor activities, home maintenance and repairs.
 

Source: Fix.com Blog
 

Takeaway

Global warming has caused many reefs across the world to die. This year many portions of the reef at Christmas Islands in the Pacific died too due to the El Nino effect.

In contrast the Elkhorn coral in Cuba’s spectacular Jardines de la Reina is flourishing despite the reefs in the Caribbean too suffering from bleaching incidents. The reason cited for this is the absence of typical human behaviour & Cuba government’s conservation laws – 25% of their waters are marine protected areas, compared to the worldwide average of about 1%. Under the government’s limits, fewer than 3,000 divers and fly-fishermen visited Jardines de la Reina.

What can U+Me do to travel more consciously? Here are a few tips for eco-diving specifically & traveling in general.

Dear readers if you have more eco-travel tips, or some eco-activity you have participated in when traveling or know eco-travel companies, do write in to us and share with our community.