Great Barrier Reef case study
Reef Guardians don’t wear a cape like Superman, yet they are heroes protecting one of the world’s greatest treasures: the Great Barrier Reef.
Around 900 000 people live and work in the Great Barrier Reef’s 300 000 kilometre square catchment area. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s stewardship recognition programme, Reef Guardians, grew from the idea that everyday actions and decisions can make a difference to health and resilience of this precious place.
Reef Guardians are those who demonstrate environmental stewardship actions and activities that go beyond legal requirements and share their knowledge and experience to inspire others.
Cairns Marine purpose built holding tanks
(Photo: Cairns Marine)
By recognising the good environmental work undertaken by individuals across a range of primary industries, schools, and councils the authority’s Reef Guardians programme is a hands-on approach that puts individuals at the heart of conservation.
Lyle Squire Junior, CEO of aquatic supply company Cairns Marine, is proud to be a Reef Guardian. `It means recognition for the work we do and our contribution to maintaining the reef’s resilience,’ he said. `There are so many practical ways to protecting the reef, like using GPS data to track where we’ve been and ensure we don’t collect in the same place within a 12 month period. Every aspect of our business is about minimising our footprint on the environment.’
Cairns Marine is Australia’s largest supplier of marine life for display, supplying Australian retail outlets, international wholesalers and public aquariums. The company operates two customised vessels which collect from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea under strict licensing and fisheries management conditions. Specimens are hand caught without using cyanide and kept at a custom built holding and husbandry facility in Cairns. From here they are distributed across Australia and around the world.
Lyle is committed to maintaining professional standards in the industry and is also President of Pro Vision Reef, a body that includes 85 per cent of commercial operators collecting coral and fish. In 2009 the industry body developed the Great Barrier Reef Stewardship Action Plan, to have guidelines in place for responding to environmental events that affect the industry.
`This is the first time an industry has identified predetermined responses to future events like coral bleaching or storm damage. In an event like that, the plan identifies a range of solutions based on the severity of the event. This may range from moratoriums on collecting in particular areas, or prevent collecting certain species to enhance the resilience of the system and allow it to bounce back naturally,’ Lyle said.
Lyle is one of thousands of Reef Guardians, ranging from innovative farmers and graziers who want to promote their sustainable farming practices to their local council, while Reef Guardian Schools currently involves more than 300 schools and 123 000 students.
Townsville’s Belgian Gardens State School has recently launched Little Reef HQ, an aquarium complex at the school that includes both saltwater and freshwater tanks. The tanks house seahorses, clown fish and tusk fish. More than 90 volunteer students from years five to seven are rostered on before school to feed the fish and wildlife, clean the tanks and observe their movements.
`We have had saltwater tanks at school for the last 11 years,’ teacher Brett Murphy said.
`It started with a 6 ft tank in my classroom with a shark and eel. Several years later we won a Reef Guardian Award from the Australian Government that allowed us to install a large reef tank in the library. After a few years the clown fish were laying regularly so we started rearing the young. We then decided to incorporate these experiences more in our curriculum.’
Brett said the local community is very supportive, with local business donating their time and service. `What we offer at our school is unique and we’re hoping other schools will visit and our students can be the tour guides—kids teaching kids. Who doesn’t want to take a turtle for a walk?’
You don’t need super powers be a Reef Guardian, you just need to be committed to protecting and conserving one of the world’s most special places.
Further information
For more information go to www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-partners/reef-guardians