The Australian writer Penny Hunter weighs in expert opinions from marine biologists on the true state of our Great Barrier Reef.

“The good news? The reef is recovering. In fact, he described some coral gardens as“absolutely lush”, particularly where plate and branch coral had rapidly regenerated. The bad news? The threats to its survival – climate change, warmer ocean temperatures, extreme weather events, agricultural run-off – still exist.

Dr Lewis said alarmist and exaggerated reports and that the entire reef is dead, along with claims by climate denialists that it isn’t at risk, were equally counter-productive in the fight to ensure its healthy survival.” – Penny Hunter, The Australian.

With education of staff and guests as a core focus, Lizard Island provides guests with an abundance of opportunities to explore and be educated about the reef and the national park, with regular scheduled nature interpretive walks, and presentations on marine and terrestrial systems, delivered by the resort’s resident naturalists.

Subscribers to The Australian can read the full article here, or to read the PDF version here.

For further information on Lizard Island Research Station Tours, visit.