Your Chance to See the Great Barrier Reef Is Rapidly Coming to an End

The Northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, is in serious decline — the study estimated that 50% of coral in the Northern part of the reef has already died. If the trend continues, the Great Barrier Reef could become no more than a skeleton in our lifetimes.

But this doesn’t mean you should necessarily rush to go visit the Great Barrier Reef now without taking precautions: a spike in tourism is not likely to be good for the reef, as snorkeling, boating, and diving has caused significant physical damage to reefs in the past. On top of that, most common brands of sunscreen contain a chemical that has been tied to reef bleaching. And coastal development for tourism purposes can cause sewage run-off and sedimentation that can harm reefs even further.

Fishing on the reefs doesn’t help either: Just last week, there were reports that the movie Finding Nemo — which had a very pro-conservation message — had led to a drop in wild clownfish populations because people wanted the movie’s cute tropical fish in their tanks. There are worries that the upcoming movie Finding Dory could have the same unintended effect.

So if you still want to see this natural wonder, take precautions: don’t touch anything. Don’t take shells as souvenirs. Don’t take fish from the habitat. Only go with responsible eco-conscious companies. And wear reef-safe sunscreen.

The Great Barrier Reef may yet be saved. But it serves as a warning to humans that the most beautiful things on our planet are fragile, and that we shouldn’t just assume that they’ll always be around for us. We may, in our lifetime, lose one of our most spectacular natural wonders. And we’ll only have ourselves to blame.

Featured photo by CJ Anderson