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Rainforests

of the Sea

WORDS by Rosie Wang

eople from all over the globe come to Port Douglas each year to visit To protect themselves they secrete a limestone outer skeleton that attaches to
the iconic Great Barrier Reef. The world’s biggest living structure, rocks or the dead skeletons of other polyps. In the case of stony or hard corals,
Pit is so large it can be seen from space. Amazingly, this gigantic these polyp conglomerates grow, die, and endlessly repeat the cycle over time,
structure that stretches for 2000 km is ‘built’ by miniscule organisms that slowly laying the limestone foundation for coral reefs.
are less than 3mm in diameter. Why are coral reefs important?
Port Douglas is the nearest town to the Great Barrier Reef (50 nautical miles), Coral reefs only occupy 0.1% of the total ocean surface area – but a quarter
so it is not surprising that it is proving to be a centre of excellence for preserving of known marine life is dependent on them for survival. They produce 50%
and researching corals. of the earth’s oxygen and absorb nearly a third of the carbon dioxide generated
Port Douglas tour operators treat the stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef as from burning fossil fuels. This is why coral reefs are often referred to as the
a high priority (it is their living after all) and through this are becoming world ‘rainforests of the sea’.
leaders in innovation and coral restoration techniques. A healthy, well-managed reef can provide people with 15 tonnes of seafood per
People tend to think of corals as plants or rock but know little about what coral square kilometre per year. Tourism resulting from people wishing to experience
actually is and its effects on the environment as an important part of the world’s these areas of natural beauty supports a series of industries thought to be
delicate eco structure. worth roughly $36 billion per year. Certainly, in Port Douglas the community
So, what exactly are corals? depends on it.
Corals are made up of single coral polyps that have tiny, tentacle-like stinging
arms that they use to capture their food from the water and sweep into their What do coral eat?
inscrutable mouths, which is then digested in their stomach. Most corals are reliant on photosynthesis (the same process used by plants
76 Port Douglas Travel Planner PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 77