Biodiversity

The Great Barrier Reef is internationally recognised for its outstanding biodiversity.

The World Heritage status of the Reef recognises its great diversity of

species and habitats.

Conserving the Reef's biodiversity is not just desirable - it is essential. By

protecting biodiversity, we are protecting our future and our children's

future.

Imagine the Reef with fewer species, with no variety, it would be a vastly different place, unable to sustain all that it does today.

Biodiversity is the term used to describe the variety of life on Earth.

It encompasses all living things,

from microbes and single cell algae to marine turtles and whales,

and their habitats.

The Great Barrier Reef relies on its biodiversity, from the animals, plants and

algae to the micro-organisms too small for the eye to see.

It is this biodiversity that builds such a remarkable ecosystem, as well as

supporting human use of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Reef's extraordinary biodiversity and the interconnectedness of species and

habitats make the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas one of the most

complex natural systems on Earth.

The Great Barrier Reef:

is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, extending over 14º of latitudinal range
includes over 2900 separate coral reefs
includes deep water features of the adjoining continental shelf including canyons, channels, plateaux and slopes
has over 2000km² of mangroves, with species representing 54 per cent of the world's mangrove diversity
has about 6,000km² of seagrass beds
includes about 900 islands ranging from small coral cays to large continental islands

AL's references