ABSTRACT
Since European settlement, many historical changes have occurred in the environments and ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef, particularly in the more accessible reefs and islands of the Cairns, Townsville and Capricorn-Bunker areas. Those changes occurred at many geographical scales, ranging from widespread effects (such as the impact of deteriorating water quality) to more localised impacts (such as the destruction caused by military target practice and various forms of mining). Furthermore, those changes occurred at various temporal scales, including long-term changes (such as the cumulative impacts of coral and shell collecting) and short-term changes (such as damage due to tropical cyclones). Indeed, classifying particular changes in the Great Barrier Reef is a difficult task because reefs are highly dynamic systems that are characterised by almost constant change at these various scales. Therefore, the narrative presented in this book documents changes in the Great Barrier Reef that have resulted from both natural and human causes – or from a combination of both – but where one impact ends and another begins is difficult to delineate precisely. Although, in this book, changes in the Great Barrier Reef are often categorised according to causal factor (and sometimes by time period), it is important to recognise that changes in the ecosystem have occurred as a result of multiple, combined impacts whose effects have varied geographically and temporally.
