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Australians perceptions of species diversity of, and threats to, the Great Barrier Reef

Jarrah Taylor, Carla Litchfield, Brianna Le Busque

Abstract

Context: The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under threat from multiple anthropogenic activities such as tourism and climate change. Understanding participants knowledge about the GBR can encourage conservation of the GBR. Aim: This study investigated what participants, whom were all Australian, know about the GBR, the species that reside there, and the threats to the GBR ecosystem Methods: Participants (N = 113), recruited via social media, completed a short online survey that included four open-ended items exploring various aspects of GBR knowledge. Key Results: Results indicated that participants identified a range of threats to GBR, that fell into broad categories of environmental and social impacts. Results also showed that the most common broad taxa identified were fish, coral, and reptiles, and that clown fish were the most common specific GBR species identified. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study provides evidence of limited knowledge of species that live in the GBR, and basic broad knowledge of threats to the GBR. Implications: This study contributes new insights regarding knowledge of GBR and recognition of animals that live in the GBR to show where public awareness campaigns should be focused and highlights avenues for future research.

MF24109  Accepted 10 January 2025

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