In Hot Water

Dr Paul E Hardisty, CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) for six years, has written In Hot Water: the inside battle to save the Great Barrier Reef. In this book he describes the work being done to save the Great Barrier Reef so far and what must be done to continue this work in the future.

Much of the book looks at the attempts to provide the facts as to the health of the reef and factors that affect its health and decline. One of the big challenges is to counter the disinformation from some sources about global warming and man made threats to some parts of the reef.

As well as describing the scientific work being undertaken to provide a future for the reef, the author explains attempts undertaken during the past century or more to study parts of the Great Barrier Reef and to preserve it for the future. Having spent many holidays in far north Queensland I was particularly interested to read of research being carried out at the Low Isles and Dunk Island early in the twentieth century, including the recommendation for establishing a marine park.

Expedition to the Great Barrier Reef 1928-1929