Australia Announces $379 Million Funding Plan to Help Save the Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef Fund

Photo: Belle Co

In a bid to help save Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney government recently announced a $379 million funding plan. Approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the initiative will help pay for a number of new protection strategies against environmental dangers such as coral bleaching—a long-term problem that has so far destroyed over 900 miles of the world-heritage ecosystem.

Caused by increasing seas temperatures, bleaching is a stress response from the living corals. They expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to lose their vibrant colors, which turns them completely white. Other major causes include a recent outbreak of coral-eating starfish, called the crown-of-thorns starfish. It spreads its body across the coral and releases a digestive enzyme, which slowly breaks it down.

However, the first cause that the government’s funds will aim to change is the surrounding farming practices. Due to the close proximity of sugar cane and cattle farms to the shore, there are large amounts of industrial agricultural waste that pollutes the ocean and smothers the coral. Sydney’s Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg explains that the money will help to introduce better practices “to ensure that the reef doesn’t get the large amounts of sediment, nitrogen and pesticide run-off which is so damaging to coral and which helps breed this crown-of-thorns starfish.”

While some feel skeptical on whether the plan will actually help, the funding initiative is a step in the right direction. Find out more about the Great Barrier Reef on the UNESCO website.

In a bid to help save Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney government recently announced a $379 million funding plan.

Great Barrier Reef Fund

Photo: wembley

Approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the initiative will help pay for a number of new protection strategies against environmental dangers such as coral bleaching.

bleached-coral

Learn more about the harms of coral bleaching via this video by National Geographic.

h/t: [Green Matters]

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation.
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