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Great Barrier Reef Hope Spot Announced with Call for Ocean-Loving Volunteers to Dive into Great Reef Census

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA (April 21, 2021)

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has been officially declared as Hope Spot by Mission Blue. Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef have been named Champions of the newly launched Hope Spot in recognition of their work with a range of partners across tourism, research, and conservation on projects to protect and conserve the GBR.
 
 
To celebrate the launch of the new Hope Spot, which coincides with Earth Day, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef and Mission Blue are calling on ocean lovers across the globe to dive in and take part in a live conservation action to help protect the GBR. 
By joining their Earth Day online event, citizen scientists can visit greatreefcensus.org and help analyze some of the thousands of survey images captured from across the GBR during the inaugural Great Reef Census — and in doing so, contribute directly to the future of the newly launched GBR Hope Spot.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Uncategorized |

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Protect the Reef, Protect Ourselves

By Courtney Mattison

I was certain that the photos of magenta, green and golden corals, crinoids, anemones and fish in the dive boat brochures had been enhanced. No actual coral reefs looked that exquisite in real life, did they? I prepped my camera and donned my dive gear. As my dive buddy and I landed in the water and sank deep below the surface, the brilliant world below came into view. Jacques Cousteau’s words echoed in my ears: “Through the window of my mask I see a wall of coral, its surface a living kaleidoscope of lilac flecks, splashes of gold, reddish streaks and yellows, all tinged by the familiar transparent blue of the sea.” If anything, those dazzling brochure photos failed to capture the energy and diversity of life on the actual Great Barrier Reef – truly one of the living wonders of the world.…

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Explore Life Beneath the Waves

Covering more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, the ocean remains one of the most uncharted and undiscovered ecosystems on the planet. Home to the majority of life on Earth, the ocean acts as its life support system, controlling everything from our weather and rainfall to the oxygen we breathe. Yet despite the ocean’s vital importance, the ocean is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, making it one of the most serious environmental issues we face today.

Google is committed to exploring and preserving the ocean. Today, in time for World Oceans Day on June 8, and in partnership with XL Catlin Seaview Survey, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Chagos Conservation Trust, you can explore brand new Street View imagery of more than 40 locations around the world, including the American Samoa and Chagos Islands and underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef.…

Posted in Partner Stories |

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Five Ocean Critters to Hope For in the New Year

As we look to the New Year, we’re taking time to think about ocean critters that inspire us to be hopeful. From the thousands of sharks that have been spared from finning due to recent bans in Asia to coral species that may be able to withstand ocean acidification, sea creatures big and small give us pause and merit our attention. Here’s a list of five animals that especially deserve our hope in the coming year:
Blue Whale
As the largest animal on Earth, the blue whale is one impressive cetacean! This long, slender marine mammal goes by the Latin name of Balaenoptera musculus, and has a heart that weighs 600 kilograms. Whalers hunted the endangered blue whale to near extinction for over a century until this practice was banned in 1966.…

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Why we need MPAs – Hope Spots for the Ocean!

“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” Dr. Seuss
This Dr. Seuss quote from The Lorax captures the essence of marine protected areas (MPAs). Science shows that these underwater wildlife sanctuaries can sow the seeds of tomorrow’s healthier ocean. We need a healthier ocean to help ensure the survival of the global ecological and geological engine it drives – to help ensure our own survival on the planet. The creation of MPAs, or “Hope Spots” as Dr. Sylvia Earle calls them, is an actionable way to address the tremendous existential challenges the ocean faces.
Many successful MPAs range in function, from small marine parks supervised by indigenous communities to large designated cultural landmarks or protected sites.…

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World Parks Congress in Australia Unites Global Ocean Leaders

By Courtney Mattison
On a warm summer afternoon in Australia last Wednesday, thousands of environmental researchers, advocates, policy makers and business leaders gathered in a great hall within the Sydney Olympic Park for the opening ceremonies of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Parks Congress. Delegates from around the globe watched as world-class acrobats flew through the air and dancers in vibrant costumes portrayed a story about inspiring future generations to protect the environment. Aboriginal performances and protocols highlighted the rich cultural context of the host country of this meeting, which only comes around once a decade and is held in a different country each time.
IUCN President Mr. Zhang Xinsheng, Australian federal and state environmental ministers and Nelson Mandela’s grandson addressed the congress.…

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Her Deepness on the Great Barrier Reef’s Forgotten Habitats

By Dr. Sylvia Earle
Hooray for the stay of execution for the Great Barrier Reef!  Maybe common sense will prevail as the full extent of the economic, ecological and security impacts are more widely recognized.  One aspect that gets little attention is this:
It is not just the dumping of the spoils from dredging that matters here.   
Putting aside the rationale for the channel — to facilitate shipping coal mined in western Australia to be burned in China, and the consequences of traffic through the channel (noise, wave action, spills, wastes, other ship-related impacts.) 
There is a perception that there is no downside to having the channel as long as it does not cut through the reef itself. 

But mud-sand and other “soft bottom” areas are as full of life as a rain forest and are critical to the existence of the more conspicuous reef systems.  …

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Speak out for Australia’s Marine Sanctuaries!

Ocean Elder and IUCN WCPA Emeritus, Graeme Kelleher has just taken action to protect Australia’s incredible marine life and coastal lifestyle, and thought you might like to help too.
In 2012, Australia created the world’s largest network of marine sanctuaries, but Tony Abbott has now suspended these sanctuaries, putting them all at risk. He says there’s been no consultation, no science evidence.
But there’s already been 10 years of science assessment, 606 days of consultation, 221 leading scientists backed sanctuaries, and 750,000 submissions with 95% support!
Watch this video and pledge your support for Australia’s sanctuaries today:http://www.saveourmarinelife.org.au/pledge
We’re 100,000 strong in Australia and still growing. Local businesses, divers, fishers and coastal communities are getting on board.
Please watch the video and sign the pledge today.…

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The State of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: The Smithsonian’s Chair of Marine Science Discusses

A new study finds that over the past 27 years, half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef coral has died. In a recent PBS NewsHour, Gwen Ifill talks to Dr. Nancy Knowlton, a coral reef biologist and chair of Marine Science at the Smithsonian Institution, about ecological and economical consequences of the collapse, as well as measures to help mediate the decline.
Watch and learn more about the state of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.…

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