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Three million cubic metres of sediment from dredging to expand a coal port will be dumped in the Great Barrier Reef marine park, after the park authority approved the move on Friday. The spoil resulting from the Abbot Point port project is to be dumped 24km away at a location near Bowen in north Queensland. The expansion, which hinged on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's approval of the dumping, means an extra 70m tonnes of coal each year, worth between $1.4bn and $2.8bn, will go through the port, which is also a gateway to the world heritage-listed reef.

Caribbean coral reefs are in danger of disappearing, depriving the world of one of its most beautiful and productive ecosystems

Millions of years ago, one area of reefs managed to survive a major coral extinction. The Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific is still the most biodiverse region in the world. And that is why leading marine scientists are deploying the latest in 3D mapping technology to uncover the secrets of what allowed the coral in this unique area to survive.

The expansion of no-fishing zones across the Great Barrier Reef has allowed fish numbers to rebound in some places to levels not seen since European arrival in Australia, a long-term study of the ecosystem has shown.

Sponges soak up nutrients in seawater and turn them into food for reef organisms.

Background to lesson 4