Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
individual
Authors' Class Standing
Sarah Olko, Sophomore
Lead Presenter's Name
Sarah Olko
Faculty Mentor Name
Wes Lewis
Abstract
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it is advertised as being 90 percent dead. It is home to millions of species, but its health has been declining rapidly. The point of this research was to see how local businesses in Cairns, Australia are reacting to the influx of tourists and how it is affecting them. To find this information the researcher contacted different local cairns businesses, visited a local diving company, and was able to get firsthand experience by diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The researcher found that the reef wasn’t as colorful as it is usually portrayed and was a greyish-white color, but the dive company said the reefs are still thriving. With the state, the reef is in the tourists are negatively affecting it by accidentally or purposefully touching and knocking into the fragile reefs. Australia is very aware of the problem they have at hand and they try to raise awareness of this environmental issue. All in all, Australia is home to thousands of species and is very important to the ecosystem, so people need to ban together to stop the Great Barrier Reef from dying any more than it already is.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Yes, Spark Grant
Effects from Tourism in Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it is advertised as being 90 percent dead. It is home to millions of species, but its health has been declining rapidly. The point of this research was to see how local businesses in Cairns, Australia are reacting to the influx of tourists and how it is affecting them. To find this information the researcher contacted different local cairns businesses, visited a local diving company, and was able to get firsthand experience by diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The researcher found that the reef wasn’t as colorful as it is usually portrayed and was a greyish-white color, but the dive company said the reefs are still thriving. With the state, the reef is in the tourists are negatively affecting it by accidentally or purposefully touching and knocking into the fragile reefs. Australia is very aware of the problem they have at hand and they try to raise awareness of this environmental issue. All in all, Australia is home to thousands of species and is very important to the ecosystem, so people need to ban together to stop the Great Barrier Reef from dying any more than it already is.