SEA WORLD LAUNCHES HEALTH-CHECK FOR QUEENSLAND'S SOUTHERN REEFS!
The UNITED NATIONS reef monitoring program - Reef Check - was launched at Sea World on the Gold Coast.
The program will be extended to Moreton Bay and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts in a bid to assess damage from climate change, sediment and pollution in some of Queensland’s most under-rated coral reefs.
The Federal Envirofund allocated funds to extend the program, which will be coordinated on Brisbane and the Gold coast by Griffith University marine biologist Jonathon Werry and Sea World.
Griffith University is currently working in partnership with Sea World to recruit and train volunteer recreational divers to conduct scientific surveys to determine the health of the reefs.
It is believed that siltation and the accompanying nutrient run off can cause significant flora and fauna damage and promote disease in vulnerable reefs in the SEQ region which are located very close to the shoreline.
Reef Check is the United Nation's official community-based reef monitoring program, designed to provide a global snapshot of the health of the world's reefs, and monitor impacts from threats such as climate change, development, pollution and over-fishing.
More than 5000 surveys have now been completed in 82 nations, including the Great Barrier Reef, and parts of South Australia.
The United Nations has designated 2008 the International Year of Coral Reefs.
