Coral polyps evolved over 500 million years ago, but The Great Barrier Reef formed only 500,000 years ago. It has changed a lot over the years, with the modern GBR taking shape 20,000 years ago. It has survived many traumatic events since then and we have slowly begun to learn more about this incredible place over time. Click here for more information.
Tree of Life
Use this page to find the group of animals you would like to know more about. Simply work your way through the links until you find what you are looking for. If you already know what you are looking for, then try our search function in the menu bar. Note that we are consistently adding to this page and its links.
Threats
The Great Barrier Reef is currently facing many threats, but it is a very complex issue as a number of these threats are connected. Many scientists predict that The Great Barrier Reef could be gone in the next 100 years, with some believing only 15 years! Between 1985 and 2012, The Great Barrier Reef lost half of its coral. 48% of this loss was due to tropical storms and cyclones, 42% was due to Crown of Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) and 10% was due to Coral Bleaching. Despite this, there is still hope. Click here for more information
Conservation
The Great Barrier Reef is an incredible place, which has led many groups to help fight for its conservation. Unfortunately, it faces a number of threats, many of which are connected. Therefore solving the problem becomes quite difficult as we need to focus on all of the issues simultaneously. Click here to learn about what you can do to help, or to learn more about current conservation projects.