Human Impact

Coral reefs are the homes of some of the most diverse ecosystems and biologically productive habitats. The Great Barrier Reef is known as the largest biological organism in the world. To learn about the basic coral biology click here. The balanced ecology of the Great Barrier Reef is one that is vulnerable to even slightest human influence. In these times, human activity has intensified to a level where our actions have extended to the coral reefs on a global scale. Today “The diversity, frequency, and scale of human impacts on coral reefs are increasing to the extent that reefs are threatened globally” (Climate Change). The ripple of human activity has not only affected the corals, but also the surrounding biodiversity that coexist within these systems. The question that we want to answer in our research is, to what extent has human activity changed the coral reef systems? We will relate our findings on the coral reefs to specific data and graphs on the Great Barrier Reefs.

Over-fishing, pollution and global warming are main factors that are tipping the equilibrium of the ecosystems within the coral reefs. So far a fifth of the reefs have been destroyed and are not recovering, a quarter of the reefs are endangered and another quarter face long-term collapse (Spotts). Global warming that has been induced by human activity has affected the reefs by creating warmer temperatures in the waters that will have adverse effects on these highly productive ecosystems. Aggressive fishing has caused major disruptions to the food web and in turn will have a negative domino effect. Overexploitation of marine life disrupts the entire stability of oceanic life because it depletes keystone plant and animal life. Pollution is another major threat to the health and stability of the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem. Development and farming off of Australia’s coast is harming the coral reef habitat with dangerous runoff and sedimentation that may eventually destruct the fragile coral reefs.