What is our Coral Sea?
Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe
The Coral Sea is a tropical marine jewel, which
lies east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It’s one of the last
places on Earth where large marine animals can still be found in great
numbers. The Coral Sea is one of the last remaining places on Earth
where populations of sharks, tuna and billfish have not been
drastically reduced.
Yet less than 1% of this Serengeti of the Seas is protected.
Today is World Oceans Day and right now the federal government is considering the future of the Coral Sea within Australian waters.
Protect Our Coral Sea Campaign
'Protect our Coral Sea' is a joint campaign supported by regional, national and international conservation organisations, who are calling on the federal government to establish a highly protected marine park in the Coral Sea. The marine park would cover over a million square kilometres and protect it from extractive uses such as mining and commercial fishing. It would be the World’s largest marine park.
Why the Coral Sea?
The proposed Coral Sea Marine Park would include coral reefs, remote
islands, underwater mountains and deep-sea canyons. Recent scientific
discoveries in the Coral Sea are only just beginning to unravel some of
the deep sea mysteries of the area. The region is also home to more
than 300 animal species currently listed on the IUCN’s Red List of
Threatened Species.
Aussie Stars ‘Coral Sea Love’ to Save Australian Ocean
Wilderness.
Australian actress Isabel Lucas and her
boyfriend musician Angus Stone have created a short video ‘Coral Sea Love’ in which they call for viewers to
sign a petition and help create a marine park in the Coral Sea.
Isabel Lucas is an Ambassador of the Protect Our Coral Sea campaign,
an effort to protect a vast area of ocean wilderness adjacent to the
Great Barrier Reef.
The video has been released to coincide with World Oceans Day on
June 8th, an international celebration of the sea, and Julia Stone has
created and sings the song titled 'In the City of Lights'. The Coral
Sea is one of the last remaining places on Earth where populations of
sharks, tuna and billfish have not been drastically reduced.
Photos by Xanthe Rivett
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