Australian Politics Forum - Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???

miketrees Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6492 Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #30 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:01pm That reef looks fuct already, too late. The best reefs for diving are on the west coast now. They are all going to be fuct in 30 years anyway. Perhaps some corals will move south with warming climates
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Amadd

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #31 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:14pm

There are lots of dangers to the reef, including natural variances in weather patterns.

One of the bigger dangers is the crown of thorns starfish, which is a natural inhabitant of the reef, but has grown to damaging numbers as they feed on the coral polyps and have very few natural predators.

The reason for it's current abundance is said to be largely due to the increase of algae (that they also feed on) caused by agricultural runoff.
Although the reef is a long way offshore in parts, the crown of thorns will eventually spread in large numbers throughout the entire reef.

Of course this isn't the only danger. Just a couple of degrees rise in water temperature will wipe out most of the reef.
Then there's shipping traffic, oil spill threats, tourism, overfishing, etc.

Supposedly, the crown of thorns is a Japanese delicacy, so maybe we can swap them a few tons of starfish for some whales?

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miketrees Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6492 Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #32 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:21pm A long time ago, I heard that the Crown of Thorns Starfish was out of control because one of its predators , a shell of some kind was being removed from the reef by people.
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Amadd

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #33 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:37pm

miketrees wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:21pm:

A long time ago, I heard that the Crown of Thorns Starfish was out of control because one of its predators , a shell of some kind was being removed from the reef by people.

Yeah. "The giant triton" has an attractive shell, but it is now protected from collectors. Unfortunately it doesn't survive very well amidst human activity like the crown of thorns does.

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Emma

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #34 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 11:11pm

Amadd wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 3:14am:

Emma wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 2:32am:

The world would need a new Hitler to the power of 1000 to stop the capitalist juggernaut, and even if this were possible, it would cause the death of billions.
So you may as well have the goal of tap dancing upon the waters of an undiscovered barrier reef on Mars.
- Amadd

THIS IS your RATIONAL opinion??? Cheesy

Yes, I'm telling you to get real.
You have no influence over even 5% of the people on this forum, let alone the billions required to murder other billions in order to bring the world to a halt and hopefully save the barrier reef.

Will we destroy the barrier reef?
Personally, I'll try not to. Will you?

Don't forget that we are a part of nature also, and the reef is quite a few million yrs older than humanity.
We may not be as wise as we assume ourselves to be when considering ourselves nature's keeper.
Nature might in fact be keeping us.

Jeez .. ur brilliant..!!!

We may not be as wise as we assume ourselves to be when considering ourselves nature's keeper.
Nature might in fact be keeping us... Amadd

This is a NEW THOUGHT for you ?? Roll Eyes

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Emma

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #35 - May 2^nd, 2013 at 11:22pm

pjb05 wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 5:04pm:

The GBR is vast and most of it is a long way offshore. Could someone please explain how some port development could affect it in any significant way?

are you serious with this question? pj's..??

do you have any interest in the Great Barrier Reef... or is it just another acronym ... ? GBR.. Sad

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Amadd Gold Member Offline Mo Posts: 6217	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #36 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 12:27am Did you make this thread just to be an obnoxious pain in the ass? I know a great dive location on the GBR that I could recommend to you where very mysterious events seem to occur.
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BatteriesNotIncluded

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #37 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 1:03am

Emma wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 11:11pm:

Amadd wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 3:14am:

Emma wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 2:32am:

The world would need a new Hitler to the power of 1000 to stop the capitalist juggernaut, and even if this were possible, it would cause the death of billions.
So you may as well have the goal of tap dancing upon the waters of an undiscovered barrier reef on Mars.
- Amadd

THIS IS your RATIONAL opinion??? Cheesy

Yes, I'm telling you to get real.
You have no influence over even 5% of the people on this forum, let alone the billions required to murder other billions in order to bring the world to a halt and hopefully save the barrier reef.

Will we destroy the barrier reef?
Personally, I'll try not to. Will you?

Don't forget that we are a part of nature also, and the reef is quite a few million yrs older than humanity.
We may not be as wise as we assume ourselves to be when considering ourselves nature's keeper.
Nature might in fact be keeping us.

Jeez .. ur brilliant..!!!

We may not be as wise as we assume ourselves to be when considering ourselves nature's keeper.
Nature might in fact be keeping us... Amadd

This is a NEW THOUGHT for you ?? Roll Eyes

Emma, if he's talking religion you just tell em that they obvioysly don't believe in a heavenly government if they are on a politics site!

Easy done!! Wink

Great fun too.... don't forget to duck!

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*Sure....they're anti competitive as any subsidised job is. It wouldn't be there without the tax payer. Very damned difficult for a brainwashed collectivist to understand that I know.... (swaggy) *

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Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #38 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 1:22am I won't .! quack quack
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Emma

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #39 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 1:39am

Amadd wrote on May 3^rd, 2013 at 12:27am:

Did you make this thread just to be an obnoxious pain in the ass?

I know a great dive location on the GBR that I could recommend to you where very mysterious events seem to occur. Wink

ah !!

friend Amadd...

in answer... No ... I started this thread because i genuinely believe that our governments are treating it like it doesn't exist. !!That it has no 'value', which is patently ridiculous.!!
Massive increases in large shipping will result if these Ports, and adjacent coal etc resources are further exploited for economic gain.
You perceive no risk from this??
Poisonous run-off from agricultural and mining activity is a non-event..???

WHY DO I NEED to explain this to you. ??

You say you know of dive spots on the Reef... well how will you feel when they are smothered, dying under an oil spill, or ripped up by some giant chinese container ship..??

Why are you threatened by my raising of this issue,..??

Hey .. I cannot 'dive' on the Barrier Reef..or find 'places'... the ONLY time I visited the Reef , was on my honeymoon.

Dunk Island... 20 yrs ago
It was marvellous... and I snorkelled on the Reef... I saw a giant groper, being fed from the toes of a crewman, offering the bait by hanging over the side ... to Ulysses...

Sadly.. yrs later , some c*nt killed Ulysses Angry

one of a pair of giant gropers...
... the same mindset that sees the Reef as a major shipping highway for our filthy exports.

WHY DO I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU IF YOU SAY YOU KNOW THE REEF AND LOVE DIVING THERE.?

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Amadd

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #40 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 3:39am

I don't know where you get the idea that I'm somehow gunning for the destruction of the reef.

Yes shipping can do great damage, especially because of the protection chemicals the ships use.
That's one of the easier problems to control.

The last El Nino caused massive bleaching, probably exasperated by climate change.

I've seen dive sites decimated by well meaning but clumsy divers who break the corals left right and centre. And then there's those who want a little souvenir to take home with them, not knowing or disregarding how long it took for that little piece of coral to grow.
But that's a piss in the ocean compared to the other threats.

My point is that it's not as simple as jumping up and down saying "stop any new ports and the reef will be saved".
The collective electorate does a lot harder jumping up and down when a twinge of economic pain is felt, and the fact of the matter is that 'no new ports' doesn't equate to saving the reef by any stretch.

Instead of whinging for somebody else to do something, you need to get out there and stomp the pavement, or maybe even get out there and take out a few (very poisonous) crown of thorns yourself.

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Sir Spot of Borg

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Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..???
Reply #41 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 5:38am

miketrees wrote on May 2^nd, 2013 at 8:01pm:

That reef looks fuct already, too late.

The best reefs for diving are on the west coast now.

They are all going to be fuct in 30 years anyway.

Perhaps some corals will move south with warming climates

We dont need it for diving - we need it for the ecology.

SOB

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I'm a
Moron!

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muso Gold Member Offline Posts: 13151 Gladstone, Queensland Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #42 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 7:42pm It seems inevitable that the reef won't last too many more decades. I'm going to be absent from the forum for a month or so. I'll check in when I'm not climbing in the Appenines.
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Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #43 - May 3^rd, 2013 at 8:15pm oooooh lucky you...enjoy
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Emma Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9853 OZ Gender:	Re: Great Barrier Reef...will WE destroy it..??? Reply #44 - May 6^th, 2013 at 2:13am I feel sad really that there has been so little response ..so few posts ..on this topic. Is there another thread..?? Nope..? I guess most people who post on this Forum, reflect the wider community... most of you live in cities... the Reef is a leisure destination..
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Poll
Question: Is the Great Barrier ReeF more important than Profits ?
* This poll has now closed *
Yes 5 (50.0%) no 2 (20.0%) Yes, depending on the current economic climate 1 (10.0%) No ..Economic demands trump the Reef 0 (0.0%) Yes.. without exception 0 (0.0%) NO , altho some enviro issues may be consi 1 (10.0%) No ...Our Country needs Mining profits regardless 0 (0.0%) ABSOLUTELY YES ..IT IS 1 (10.0%) Total votes: 10 « Created by: Emma on: Apr 30^th, 2013 at 11:50pm »