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Celebrating 50 years
2025 marks a milestone moment in the story of the Great Barrier Reef – the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Since 1975, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act has provided a regulatory framework to manage and protect one of the world’s most significant natural assets. It was established to safeguard the Reef while enabling sustainable use, including tourism, fishing, shipping, research and traditional use.
“This anniversary is a chance to honour the people, partnerships and knowledge systems that have helped care for the Reef,” Reef Authority CEO Josh Thomas said. “It’s also a call to action to continue this legacy into the future.”
The establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is testament to what can be achieved when people unite to protect what they love.
Reef in Focus podcast featuring Rohan Lloyd
Protecting the Reef isn’t just about science, it’s about people, passion, and persistence. The fight to save the Reef started with everyday Australians who cared enough to act, and 50 years later, that same spirit is just as important. Rohan brings the past to life and explains how the Marine Park was established.
John Büsst: Artist and conservationist
There is arguably no one more synonymous with the earliest efforts to preserve and protect the Great Barrier Reef than artist and conservationist, John Büsst, who played a pivotal role in the earliest efforts to establish the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Looking forward with CEO Josh Thomas
It is hard to fathom, for anyone who has ever experienced the stunning colour and ecological majesty of the Great Barrier Reef, that it was once viewed as a viable source of oil and petroleum. And that coral, which in some cases can live for hundreds of years, was thought more useful as a source of agricultural lime.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority acknowledges the continuing Sea Country management and custodianship of the Great Barrier Reef by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners whose rich cultures, heritage values, enduring connections and shared efforts protect the Reef for future generations.
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