The Great Barrier Reef: environment, disaster and heritage

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is an iconic natural wonder, which represents one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet (GBRMPA 2009). The river systems that feed into the GBR lagoon are highly biodiverse and have a long cultural history for indigenous and settling peoples. As times, economies and climate have changed over the centuries, so has the impact and influence of these river ecosystems on the communities that thrive along their banks. This has been shown to dramatic effect in the last ten years with the repeated flooding of rivers in Queensland and the resulting social, economic...