Dale Nimmo and colleagues write in The Conversation (3.5.16) about the many ecosystems under threat of degradation in Australia, in addition to the current dilemmas facing the Great Barrier Reef. They ask what actions the federal government through its budget initiatives might take to help protect these threatened environments.
‘Media reports around the world have brought the mass coral bleaching of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef into people’s offices and homes.
‘With 93% of individual reefs showing bleaching, the devastation among researchers, celebrities and the public is palpable.
‘Unfortunately, mass coral bleaching is just one example of a far broader problem. Although it represents a rapid and extensive example of ecosystem degradation, coral bleaching is not surprising: it is consistent with many changes that are occurring now across Australia’s natural environments.’