ABSTRACT
The initial hearing in the case of Great Barrier Reef v Australian Federal and State governments and others took place in January 2014, at Quito in Ecuador and was brought to the Tribunal by the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA). The AELA submitted the application for the case of the Great Barrier Reef to the Tribunal in Quito. On 15 October 2014, an Australian Regional Chamber of the Tribunal conducted hearings in Brisbane, Queensland, to hear evidence from local witnesses for the Great Barrier Reef case. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral system and one of the greatest wonders of Earth. It is the largest structure made by living organisms and can be seen from space. According to scientific evidence presented at the Regional Tribunal, the Reef has a tremendous capacity to heal itself and if the many human activities that are causing ongoing harm were stopped, a significant amount of natural regeneration could be expected.
