Great Barrier Reef Foundation

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation champions real solutions to the threats facing Australia’s great natural wonder – the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is a global icon under pressure. While positive actions have been undertaken, the greatest risks to the Great Barrier Reef remain unchanged. The major threats: 1. Climate change 2. Poor water quality from land-based run-off 3. Impacts from coastal development 4. Some remaining impacts of fishing Other threats include extreme weather and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. With a 50% decline in coral cover of the Great Barrier Reef since 1985, a concerted, collaborative and sustained effort is vital to help preserve and build the Reef’s resilience to threats. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is fostering a resilient Reef for all generations by catalysing and funding science that informs, encourages and inspires. The Foundation is the only independent, not-for-profit organisation in Australia dedicated solely to raising funds for scientific research into preserving the Great Barrier Reef. Founded in 2000 to support Article 17 of the World Heritage Convention, the Foundation has raised more than $50m for vital research into the Great Barrier Reef. With the release of Australia’s Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan in 2015, the Foundation’s priority is to help deliver the outcomes of this plan quickly, efficiently and effectively with a focus on science and innovation. The Foundation is as much a catalyst for new ways of thinking as it is a catalyst for bringing different thought leaders, experts and organisations together. That’s where the innovation happens. Through working directly with reef managers, the Foundation funds scientific research to help protect and preserve the Great Barrier Reef and make it more resilient in the face of major threats.