Since colonisation the Great Barrier Reef has been the subject of national interest and identity. It’s also been subject to misinformation and politicisation.

In 2019 The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority reported the health of the Reef was very poor.  Threats remain increasingly severe coral bleaching events, cyclones, and outbreaks of pest species. There is a mix of voices speaking up and at times over one-another to determine how the Reef should be best understood and managed.

We speak to Dr Zoe Richards Senior Research Fellow, School of Molecular and Life Sciences (MLS) at Curtin University on a recent misinformation campaign around coral cover. You can also read Dr Richards’ article in The Conversation.

We also speak to environmental historian Rohan Lloyd about the ongoing politicisation of the Reef. You can read Rohan’s work in The Conversation and 2016 paper “Coral Battleground? Re-examining the ‘Save the Reef’ campaign in 1960s Australia”.

Earth Matters #1364 was produced by Eiddwen Jeffery