There is very little international law explicitly protecting coral reefs, so recent international activity has focused on raising awareness of the issues and promoting local and regional initiatives. Recognition of the Great Barrier Reef in 1981 as a World Heritage Area helped raise public awareness of the need to conserve the reef, as well as enabling laws which specifically help protect the reef. But what have certain organizations done to try and preserve what remains of this world wonder?
IGOs
After a national campaign by ACF (Australian Conservation Foundation), mining was banned when the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, a regional IGO of its own, was created in 1975.
An IGO within the United Nations, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), has reported that Australia has failed to properly protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the impending approval of 35 projects from multinational corporations, such as oil and petroleum companies, that could cause further harm to the reefs. UNESCO says urgent measures must be taken to protect what's left of the reefs and help undo the damages done.
The Environment Minister of Australia, Tony Burke, made a pledge to UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee in February, as part of a report Australia had to make on its management of the Great Barrier Reef, though his claim of having the reef as a primary concern has been questioned by many.
An IGO within the United Nations, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), has reported that Australia has failed to properly protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the impending approval of 35 projects from multinational corporations, such as oil and petroleum companies, that could cause further harm to the reefs. UNESCO says urgent measures must be taken to protect what's left of the reefs and help undo the damages done.
The Environment Minister of Australia, Tony Burke, made a pledge to UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee in February, as part of a report Australia had to make on its management of the Great Barrier Reef, though his claim of having the reef as a primary concern has been questioned by many.
NGOs
The claims made by Burke were further questioned when documents obtained by the NGO Greenpeace, under the Freedom of Information law, reveal that Burke was aware that UNESCO might inscribe the Reef on the list of World Heritage properties "in danger" as long ago as October 2010. This has called for a panel of overseas experts to review the natural wonder and safeguard its future.
The Australian Conservation Foundation, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of natural treasures in Australia, has worked to conserve this unique ecosystem and protect it from the threat of mankind's tampering, such as with petroleum extraction, limestone mining, overfishing, and trawling. This lead to the mining ban in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The ACF also influenced the expansion of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which also restricted the places where commercial and recreational fishing can occur, in 2003 and 2004.
An NGO by the name of the Species Conservation Unit of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority monitors certain vertebrate species in the Great Barrier reef and provide specialized advice to minimize human impact and its associated risks on species that require protection. The overall focus of the Species Conservation Unit is the protection of wildlife such as sea turtles, certain species of fish, whales, dolphins, and dugongs (pictured below), rather than the reefs themselves.
The Australian Conservation Foundation, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of natural treasures in Australia, has worked to conserve this unique ecosystem and protect it from the threat of mankind's tampering, such as with petroleum extraction, limestone mining, overfishing, and trawling. This lead to the mining ban in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The ACF also influenced the expansion of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which also restricted the places where commercial and recreational fishing can occur, in 2003 and 2004.
An NGO by the name of the Species Conservation Unit of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority monitors certain vertebrate species in the Great Barrier reef and provide specialized advice to minimize human impact and its associated risks on species that require protection. The overall focus of the Species Conservation Unit is the protection of wildlife such as sea turtles, certain species of fish, whales, dolphins, and dugongs (pictured below), rather than the reefs themselves.