Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Australian coral barrier

It is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Located in the Coral Sea, northwest of Australia, it is the largest living coral reef on the planet. From the top, the view of this unique marine habitat is fascinating, it seems almost unreal. Thanks to its shallow clean waters, the rich ecosystem that was born and lives on the seabed is easily recognizable from the sky.

The Australian coral barrier is considered by many to be the largest living being in the world. In reality, coral is an animal of a few millimeters, but it has the power to take dissolved calcium from the sea and fix it in its tissues. This allows him to create those compact structures that give him his usual appearance. When the coral dies, its calcium structure remains in the sea, so other corals colonize these structures and create new ones over the old generations. This process leads to the formation of coral reefs. The Australian is 2000 km long, the largest in the world. it is home to 1500 species of fish and 4000 species of molluscs.

The coral ecosystem is as beautiful as it is fragile. Until recently, the main enemy has been pollution and unbridled fishing, fortunately the Australian coral barrier is already a protected area. Now the main enemy is the warming of the planet. Corals are very sensitive to changes in ocean temperature, so there are those who claim that the Australian coral barrier is the chronicle of a predicted death.