The challenge
Maintaining the health of the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is a series of reefs spanning 348,000 square kilometres and stretching 2,300 kilometres along the Queensland coast.
Its ongoing health is under threat from pressures including:
- climate change
- declining water quality from catchment run-off
- habitat loss resulting from coastal development
- shipping and fishing.
Our response
Using science to inform decisions
Effective conservation and management of the reef depends on quality science and integrated decision-making.
Maintaining the reef's health into the future is a critical task. CSIRO researchers are collecting data about the reef's physical and biological processes and making knowledge available to a wide range of stakeholders.