This article dives into how to help the Great Barrier Reef with practical, grounded actions you can take—whether you live on the coast, in the bush, or way inland. The Great Barrier Reef isn’t just a pretty spot for tourist boats and snorkel snaps. It’s one of the most biodiverse reef ecosystems on Earth — home to cay islands, soft coral, marine turtles, seagrass beds, and a mind-blowing range of marine species that’ve been around far longer than us. But these coral communities are in trouble.
Between coral bleaching, declines in water quality, warming water temperatures, and detrimental impacts from pollution and fishing, the Reef’s resilience is wearing thin. And while major agencies like the Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and Traditional Owners are doing all they can, the rest of us have a role to play too.
So, let’s talk brass tacks. Here’s how to help the Great Barrier Reef in ways that actually matter — whether you’re floating over a shallow water reef off Fitzroy Island, or changing your habits back home on the mainland. Want to chat about reef tours, coral planting, or sustainable travel? Reach out — I’ve got gear tips, guide contacts, and a billy ready to boil.
Low-Impact Reef Tourism Matters
You don’t have to boycott the Reef to protect it. In fact, eco-tourism is one of the Reef’s strongest allies when done right. The key? Low-impact travel.
When you visit, you support community initiatives, citizen science projects, and jobs that depend on reef health, from Lizard Island to Fitzroy Island and the continental islands dotting the outer reef.
- Choose certified eco operators (tick off that Ecotourism Australia label)
- Pack reef-safe sunscreen — some chemicals worsen coral disease prevalence
- Snorkel smart: don’t stand on soft coral, even if the tide’s low
- Learn from your guides — and from Traditional Owners, where cultural stories are shared
I’ve seen a bloke stand on a coral bommie for a selfie. One wrong step, and that coral, which took decades to grow, was flattened. Don’t be that tourist.
Sign the Petition
Want a quick win? Sign the petition to ban destructive gillnets across the Reef’s key habitats. A Net-Free Reef would reduce bycatch, stop deadly thorn starfish outbreaks, and give struggling fish populations a fighting chance.
Organisations like WWF are pushing hard, and the campaign has the backing of marine biologists, local fishers, and Queensland Governments.
- Find the petition on WWF’s website
- It protects marine turtle habitats
- It helps coral populations by preventing overfishing of herbivores
- It supports better chemical management practices in fishing zones
Be a Sustainable Tourist
Don’t just float above the reef — respect it.
A Marine Park isn’t a theme park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has strict zones for a reason. From shallow water reefs to Crescentic reefs, every zone has its role in the reef ecosystem.
- Stay in designated areas (your tour guide should explain these)
- Ditch disposables — water pollution is a massive threat to coral health
- Wear fins properly (kicking coral = bad. Floating like a jellyfish = good)
- Avoid bug sprays and moisturisers before swimming — they can harm coral growth
Back on Fitzroy Island, I stayed at a place that had compost bins, solar panels, and its own reef restoration nursery. Sustainable travel is out there — you just need to seek it.
Reduce Your Plastic Use
Here’s the thing — what flows from your street eventually makes its way to the sea. The quality of water entering the Reef from the mainland directly affects coral health. Plastics break into microplastics and get eaten by marine species, from plankton to parrotfish.
- Bring your own cup, straw, and cutlery
- Use beeswax wraps or snack tubs when travelling
- Refill water at local stations — don’t buy five servo bottles a day
- Join a clean-up, or start one (every beach has a story — and a pile of bottle caps)
Even the Handbook for the Great Barrier Reef outlines a decline in water quality as a major threat, linked directly to poor land management practices and disposal activity inland.
Buy Responsibly Sourced Seafood
Your seafood choices can have a detrimental impact or become part of the solution. Trawling and poorly managed commercial activity strip the reef of key species and damage the seafloor, affecting seagrass beds, turtles, and even black band disease outbreaks on corals.
- Choose Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the GoodFish app-rated seafood
- Ask how your fish was caught, not just what it is
- Avoid reef species like coral trout and red emperor unless labelled sustainable
- Limit imported seafood with unknown sourcing
This is where your carbon footprint intersects with marine conservation. Imported seafood means more emissions and more unknowns.
Change Your Habits at Home
You don’t need to be on Elliot Island to help. Actions at home ripple outward, impacting the quality of water flowing to the Reef.
Reef-friendly home habits:
- Use organic fertilisers or none at all
- Wash your car on grass, not concrete
- Avoid pouring paint, oil or cleaners down drains
- Plant native species to reduce runoff
- Cut packaging waste — less landfill, fewer leachates
Even the Department of the Environment and Heritage has flagged urban runoff and agricultural activities as key drivers of coral bleaching events.
Be a Marine Biologist for a Day
No lab coat is required. Thanks to Eye on the Reef, everyday travellers and locals alike can record reef sightings and reef condition data.
- Use the app to log sightings: marine turtle, dolphins, bleaching, or invasive species
- Join workshops with Reef Check Australia
- Learn coral health basics via CoralWatch (they’ve got DIY reef kits)
This kind of citizen science is crucial — the Barrier Reef Outlook Report uses data gathered not just by scientists, but by you and me.
The Coral Nurture Program
Feel like leaving a living legacy? Sponsor or plant a coral with the Coral Nurture Program — a science-backed project supported by operators like Wavelength and Passions of Paradise.
- Coral fragments are grown on underwater frames
- Installed on degraded sites across the outer reef
- Support biodiversity by boosting coral communities
In 2022, they restored sites near Lady Elliot Island after the bleaching on record from previous years. You’ll see these little coral bonsais thriving with damselfish darting about — a testament to effective management action.
Adopt a Coral
Prefer a symbolic gesture? Adopt a coral. The Reef Restoration Foundation collaborates with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Institute of Marine Science to rebuild damaged areas after cyclones and bleaching events.
- $50 supports one coral colony
- Get a certificate and updates
- Great for gifts or school programs
Adopt one, name it “Spike”, and tell your nephew it’s living near Lady Elliot Island. You’re not lying — you’re raising awareness.
Invest or Donate
Not all donations are created equal. Support groups with real results, science backing, and public education programs.
Recommended orgs:
- Great Barrier Reef Foundation – science-led, global reach
- Australian Marine Conservation Society – fierce policy advocates
- Citizens of the Reef – grassroots, volunteer-based
- Tangaroa Blue – data-rich plastic removal programs
Want next-level impact? Fund a reef ranger station or sponsor a range of programs in environmental conditions monitoring.
Take Climate Action
Let’s cut to it. The biggest risk to the Reef? Climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions drive water temperatures up, which causes widespread coral bleaching. Bleaching Events are now happening more frequently.
- Vote climate
- Switch to green power
- Travel light, eat local
- Talk about it — silence is complicity
- Offset emissions, don’t just excuse them
Every carbon emissions reduction helps. The Reef won’t survive 3°C warming. That’s not dramatic — that’s backed by the Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and CRC Reef Research Centre data.
Extra Ways to Get Involved
Still unsure how to help the Great Barrier Reef? Try these:
- Watch ABC News or BBC News documentaries on reef decline
- Use your platform — share facts, not fluff
- Join community initiatives or clean-ups
- Read the Flora of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
- Follow the Reef 2050 plan updates
- Volunteer for Environmental Management of Torres Strait programs
- Stay informed through Queensland Museum resources and tours
- Support the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (2005)
It’s not about perfection. It’s about direction.
Be the Kind of Traveller the Reef Deserves
The Great Barrier Reef doesn’t need glossy promises. It needs people — travellers, locals, scientists, kids, oldies — who care enough to act.
From agricultural runoff to thorn starfish, and from coral cover loss to biodiversity for generations, the Reef is more than just coral. It’s a barometer of our environmental condition, a spiritual connection for Torres Strait Islanders, and a global marine icon.
So, the next time you see a pic of the Reef on a postcard, ask yourself — did I help that reef live to see tomorrow?
