03/11:Barrier Reef Park Controversy

[Freakapotimus]

Proposed Barrier Reef Theme Park Stirs Controversy
AFP

March 6, 2003 — Australian environmentalists have vowed to torpedo plans to build a floating tourist complex on the Great Barrier Reef, complete with water slides, an underwater cafe and a wedding chapel.

John Rainbird of the Far North Environment Center said the planned "Ecoreef Center" would generate pollution, cast a damaging shadow over fragile marine life and set "a really bad precedent" for tourism development in the World Heritage Area.

Full story at http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp/20030306/reeftheme.html

[CrustifiedOnCrass]

They can expect the A.L.F. and E.L.F> on their asses then.

[JMHX]

Good, at least the Australians know something about preserving their natural history.

[Jimsween]

I think it would be kind of cool to have an underwater cafe and stuff but im not in australia if they wanted to build a starbucks in yellowstone i wouldnt be thinking the same thing. Yay earth! huh kinda odd you dont see earth capitalized much but you do america.

[OlenWhitaker]

Sounds like a bad idea to me. Coral reefs are extremely fragile. If the installation was found to be doing damage to the reef, by the time the damage became visible, there would already be enough that it could take a hundred years or more to normalize. Plus, it does set a dangerous precedent. If this structure is built, next thing you know, there'll be similar resort parks trying to go up in every other part of the Earth that's still untouched. Like I said...bad idea.