Introduction - The Great Barrier Reef: An Environmental History - page 1

Introduction
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest complex of coral reefs and associated
habitats on Earth (Figure 1.1) . The ecosystem extends for over 2,200 kilometres
along the north-eastern coast of Australia, containing around 2,900 coral reefs
and representing one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems known to exist
(Hutchings et al., 2009; GBRMPA, 2013). Although there has been some debate
about the age of the ecosystem and of its more ancient foundations, the modern
Great Barrier Reef is a young structure in geological terms, having formed
during the last 10,000 years of the Holocene epoch (Hopley, 2009; Hopley et
al., 2007). Consequently, its modern reefs have always existed in relation to
humans, supporting the subsistence economies of coastal Indigenous Australians
and containing many places of cultural and spiritual significance. After European
settlement commenced in Australia, the ecosystem played an important role in
the colonial development of Queensland and its resources were subjected to more
intensive exploitation (Bowen, 1994; Bowen and Bowen, 2002).
Although it lies in Australian waters, the significance of the Great Barrier
Reef extends beyond Australia. The coral reefs and associated habitats of the
region were first protected by the creation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
(GBRMP) in 1975. Subsequently, in 1981, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) acknowledged the outstanding
universal value and global significance of the ecosystem by creating the Great
Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) (Lucas et al., 1997). The extent
of the GBRWHA is approximately 348,000 km², forming one of the largest
and best known World Heritage Areas in the world (Figure 1.2) . The Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the lead agency responsible
for the management and conservation of the GBRWHA, has faced considerable
challenges in managing multiple human activities across the vast area of the
ecosystem, and the Great Barrier Reef is regarded as one of the best managed
coral reef ecosystems in the world (Wachenfeld et al., 1997; Lawrence et al.,
2002).