Coral - Corralled behind glass

The Top End of Queensland is a unique place as it is the meeting point of two World Heritage sites, the Rainforest and the Reef – both wonders of the natural world. With the coastal Mangrove fringe they make up a complex closed ecological system. Each habitat exists because the two others exist, each balancing the other in an eternal triangle. Disrupt one element and the other two are affected.

Up until lately changes and re-balances have occurred in self-curing loops. But anyone with any interest in world news will have heard of the catastrophic global coral-bleaching events that have happened over the past few years, ongoing in the sustained rise in sea temperature in 2016 and 2017  and with 2019 augured to follow similarly.

Rachel and Russell, my previous hosts, had already mentioned constantly that the Reef was under threat. British News and media have followed the story and have written so often of the fragile balance in imminent danger of collapse but on the Australian coast the tourist industry is still advertising it as a must see of the bucket list.

So, I went to snorkel on the reef with Wavelength, a company, run by marine scientists to see for myself. I had been tourist diving on the outer reef 12 years ago so despite tales of gloom and doom I had a picture in my head of what it should look like. I had visited the Marine Authority Aquarium in Townsville, with its superb coral gardens behind glass and knew academically that they were growing there under optimum conditions. …..