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Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef

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The decline of the Great Barrier Reef can be reversed by improvements to governance and management: current policies that promote fossil fuels and economic development of the Reef region need to be reformed to prioritize long-term protection from climate change and other stressors.

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Figure 1: Long term changes in drivers or stressors affecting the Great Barrier Reef.
Figure 2: The GBR contains a globally significant population of dugong, which is a key element of its outstanding universal value.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Terry P. Hughes and Jon C. Day are at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia,

    Terry P. Hughes & Jon C. Day

  2. Jon Brodie is at the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia,

    Jon Brodie

Authors
  1. Terry P. Hughes
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  2. Jon C. Day
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  3. Jon Brodie
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terry P. Hughes.

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Hughes, T., Day, J. & Brodie, J. Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Nature Clim Change 5, 508–511 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2604

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