The Great Barrier Reef is a natural wonder which is a resource used by.

             This natural resource is under threat by the abuse of.

             inappropriate measures in the environment. We can still preserve the reef and.

             continue to use it by taking the appropriate precautions.

             The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world"s natural wonders that stretches.

             2300 kilometers from Australia"s Torres Strait border with Papua New.

             Guinea, south to a point off Bundaberg, central Queensland. It is home to.

             1500 species of fish with many, if not most of them eating the algae off the.

             coral.

             The Great Barrier Reef is a resource which is used mostly for profit and there.

             is great profit to be gained by tourism and by studying these beautiful pieces.

             of coral. They may be able to find a way of making it bigger and better to.

             increase the tourist dollar. The other big business for the Great Barrier Reef is.

             recreational fishing which has increased sharply in the last ten years. The reef.

             generates 1 billion a year from tourism, fishing and other ventures.

             The main reefs are under threat from the major industries, tourism and.

             agriculture. 700,000 tourists come to see the reef each year and the numbers.

             are still increasing by ten percent per year. Fleets of wave piercing.

             catamaran"s helicopters and seaplanes speed thousands daily to outer reefs.

             that a few year ago entertained only a handful of visitors. This is taking a.

             great toll on the reef . The boats do not have storage tanks and the human.

             waste is dumped straight into the ocean. This puts lots of phosphate into the.

             ocean and the reef . It also puts too much nitrogen which helps algae grow.

             and algae helps to kill coral.

             Also there are major problems with the nitrates and phosphates coming down.

             the rivers after the cane growers put it on there crops. Major rain can happen.

             and then this erodes the nitrates and phosphates from the land and into rivers.

             down the rivers and out to sea. This is a way which kills the reef by making.