The reef is dying. So why can up to 190 tonnes be chopped out each year?
The Great Barrier Reef is facing significant threats from climate change, yet Australia permits the extraction of up to 190 tonnes of live coral annually for aquarium trade. Critics argue that this practice is unsustainable given the reef's ongoing bleaching events. Calls for an end to the trade are growing as the ecological impact of coral removal remains poorly understood.
- ▪Australia allows the legal trade of up to 190 tonnes of corals from the Great Barrier Reef each year.
- ▪The trade in live corals was valued at $25 million in 2020-21, primarily for international markets.
- ▪The Australian Marine Conservation Society is advocating for an end to the wild harvest of live corals due to the reef's declining health.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.