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The east coast of Australia is believed to have first been sighted around 1522 during a Portuguese expedition led by Cristovao de Mendonca.
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The earliest documentary evidence of the Great Barrier Reef was by the French. On 6 June 1768, Louis de Bougainville, who was commanding the ships La Boudeuse and L’Etoile, approached Australia from the east, and encountered the Bougainville Reef.
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James Cook sailed the length of the Great Barrier Reef
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Matthew Flinders undertook the task of surveying the entire Australian coastline and walking on what he called the ‘Extensive Barrier Reefs’
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Hydrographer Philip Parker King accurately charted much of the reef
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27 marine species were listed as ‘vulnerable or endangered or critically endangered’
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Introduction of tourist attractions for the Great Barrier Reef
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In 1975, the Great Barrier Reef was declared an Australian Marine Park.
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In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was added to the World Heritage List. The World Heritage List is a list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of places that have special cultural or physical significance.
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50% of the coral suffered bleaching
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Mass Coral Bleaching
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There is even more mass coral bleaching
