Great Barrier Reef Is In Trouble
Year: 2020
Ever since a mass bleaching event in 1998, the Great Barrier Reef around Australia has gone downhill. In April 2020, a third mass bleaching event took place, which was the third in just five years but the fifth since 1998. However, this 2020 Bleaching Event was the first to strike all three regions of the Great Barrier Reef. In October 2020, a study found that the reef had lost 50% of its corals over the past 30 years. Australia is determined to help the reef survive but does have plans for other biodiversity concepts that can help rebuild the reef should we lose it. The Living Coral Biobank has already begun collecting living fragments, tissue, and DNA samples of corals from the Reef to make a biobank for future restoration and rehabilitation opportunities at the Reef.