GETTY The Great Barrier Reef has been pronounced dead at the age of 25 million years old

One of the planet’s greatest living wildernesses - the Great Barrier Reef - was declared no more by leading environmental writer Rowan Jacobsen. Mr Jacobsen wrote: “The Great Barrier Reef of Australia passed away in 2016 after a long illness. It was 25 million years old." The posthumous tribute to the UNESCO site which stretches for over 1.400 miles of Queensland’s north-west coast - contains 1,625 species of fish, 3,000 molluscs and 30 different types of whale and dolphin - came as scientists carried out a major investigation into the reef’s greatest enemy – bleaching. Coral bleaching is what happens when environmental stress impacts on the “symbiotic” relationship between the rock-like living creatures that form the reefs and microscopic algae that give them their incredible colours. When stressful factors, particularly the warming up of ocean waters because of climate change, take effect, the corals expel the algae, leaving them to become transparent skeletons. Without the algae, the coral then simply starve. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says it has now started the second phase of its in-water survey to assess the impact of this year’s mass coral bleaching event.

In May researchers found that more than a third of the coral in northern and central parts of the reefs was dead, and 93 percent of individual reefs had been affected. But the situation has worsened since then. Chief executive of the Australian Climate Council Amanda McKenzie told ABC: “After the bleaching event in May, 60 per cent of what we saw was bleached very white. "Another 19-20 per cent was covered in sludgy brown algae. Even of what remained healthy, some looked a bit on edge. "When we went back a few weeks ago to see if they had recovered or died, quite a large proportion had died."

Professor Tim Flannery, who was part of the team that visited the reef in September, also speaking on ABC said: "We wanted to see how much repair there'd been, but the coral we saw bleached and in danger a few months back has now mostly died. "On top of that we've seen a whole lot of new damage, a whole lot of white coral out there that's been killed by Crown of Thorns starfish because it was too weak to defend itself. "If it [the reef] was a person, it would be on life support".

GETTY Scientists carried out a major investigation into the reef’s greatest enemy – bleaching

A coral reef summit is being staged to help save the planet’s great marine wildernesses from dying.



Experts from developing countries have gathered off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in a global effort to save the beautiful natural structures and their unique wildlife.



The 2016 International and Coral Reef Management and Leadership Programme hopes to spread its tentacles of knowledge and conservation best practice.



It is being staged at Townsville in North Queensland, close to the midway point of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and will be drawing “coral reef leaders” from countries such as Malaysia, Antigua, Honduras and Papua New Guinea.

“They're here to share knowledge and learn new skills because the state of our coral reefs are declining, and we need new skills to meet these major challenges,” programme facilitator and reef ecologic director, Dr Adam Smith, told Australia’s ABC network.



“Australia is seen as a real leader in this space so that's why they've come to Townsville to learn from the best and help their local coral reefs.”



Besides scientists and marine park officials, the conference has also attracted politicians. “They are at very high levels and they're in charge of their countries' marine parks, so to bring them together to share knowledge and stories is amazing,” added Dr Smith.



For participants there has already been an opportunity to see the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef by taking part in survey work on John Brewer and Lodestone Reef off the coast of Townsville, using clipboards to collect information about marine wildlife.



“We saw sharks, gropers, stingrays, barracudas, and a high percentage cover coral,” added Dr Smith.

GETTY The Marine Park Authority is now assessing the impact of this year’s mass coral bleaching

It revealed how preliminary findings from a study earlier this year “show 22 per cent of the coral on the Reef died due to the worst mass bleaching event on record”. Maps have been produced by the marine park authority and show how 85 per cent of this mortality occurred in a 600km stretch of reef between the tip of Cape York and just north of Lizard Island. Other parts of the reef show coral morality ranging from what it describes as very high levels to parts where no bleaching-induced mortality was detected.

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For Mr Jacobsen, events are following the warnings of Charlie Veron, longtime chief scientist for the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Great Barrier Reef’s most passionate champion who personally discovered 20 percent of the world’s coral species. In 2009, Mr Veron gave the Royal Society in London a talk, titled: “Is the Great Barrier Reef on Death Row?” Turning to this year’s events and recognition that large areas of the coral, particularly in the warmer, northern section of the reef, had died, Mr Jacobsen has used Mr Veron's portentious words for his obituary published in Outside. He quoted Mr Veron from a recent interview: “The whole northern section is trashed. It looks like a war zone. It’s heartbreaking. “I used to have the best job in the world. Now it’s turned sour... I’m 71 years old now, and I think I may outlive the reef.”

NC Coral bleaching has impacted the Great Barrier Reef