I’d arrived in Cairns the night before, staying at the aptly named Crystalbrook Flynn. After checking in, I made my way to the waterfront Ochre Bar and Restaurant to meet marine biologist and master reef guide Dr Eric Fisher- affectionately known as “Yoda” of coral reef fish. Over a dinner of kangaroo and barramundi, Fisher spoke about the reef’s biodiversity and its deep significance to First Nations Australians.
He also revealed an inspiring twist: the Great Barrier Reef had been nominated for the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement award—the first time in history a non-human had been put forward.
Tijou Reef. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Australians, it turns out, were inspired by New Zealand’s recognition of the Whanganui River as a legal entity and took the idea a step further with the reef. Now, their global campaign – The Lifetime of Greatness Project – is backing the nomination of the reef as a “living individual” deserving of the UN’s highest environmental honour.
The next morning, I joined Hull for the 90-minute trip out to the reef. As Great Adventures’ reef education manager, Hull spends her days educating visitors, surveying reef health, and sharing her passion for this underwater world.
“When people understand the reef, they love it,” she told me. “And when they love something, they want to protect it.”
Master reef guide and marine biologist Bekki Hull. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford
Throughout the day, we explored three different dive sites. Hull, along with a mostly female team of marine scientists, conducts surveys and uploads photos to Reef Cloud, an AI-powered project that is learning to distinguish coral types and identify signs of stress or disease. It’s a partnership between science and technology that powers real-time reef conservation, while tourists like me float above, wide-eyed.
No photo or documentary had prepared me for the kaleidoscope below. Coral shaped like spaghetti, broccoli, even brain tissue—named with delightfully straightforward Aussie flair.
“That one that looks like a table? Yep, table coral,” Hull laughed as I marvelled at the vast plate beneath me.
Hull and Fisher are part of GBR Biology, which works closely with traditional owners, scientists and tour operators to protect the reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardian Councils are now spearheading the campaign for the UNEP award.
Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland
As we float over this submerged living frontier, Hull dives down to what appears to be a piece of dead, broken white coral. Fisher had told me the night before about zooxanthellae, which to my untrained ear sounded like “Susan’s Belly”.
“We refer to it as zoox,” Fisher said. “Typical Australians – we also call it symbionts.”
He explained how zoox provides food from light for corals, producing carbohydrates and oxygen through photosynthesis. Meanwhile, the coral provides the algae with carbon dioxide, nitrogen and phosphorus. Thermal stress can cause coral to expel its zoox, leading to coral bleaching.
I see how this great reef, which has existed for almost 10,000 years and stretches more than 2300km (larger than Japan), is not just a large rock and marine hotel to 9000 species, but truly a living entity. And it gets preyed on like an animal by a good-looking but soul-sucking predator, the spine-covered Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, which can chew out a whole fast-growing reef.
A turtle swimming on the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Musgrave Island. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland
For millennia, the Great Barrier Reef has been a teacher, healer, and provider for First Nations communities. For visitors, it is often life-changing.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s CEO Mark Olsen described it best: “The individual who has had the largest impact on the world is the world’s largest individual.”
The UNEP Lifetime Achievement award typically honours people. Past recipients include Sir David Attenborough. But the reef, with its enduring environmental influence, biodiversity, and deep cultural connections, is a worthy contender.
Aside from being the Earth’s largest life force, it also contributes A$6.4 billion (NZ$7.25b) to the economy annually, supporting over 64,000 jobs. But more than that, it serves as a bellwether for ocean health and climate resilience.
“The Great Barrier Reef is hands-down the best candidate for a Lifetime Achievement Award,” Reef Guardian Council chair Jeff Baines said.
It’s also very, very photogenic.
Checklist
AUSTRALIA
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Cairns direct with Air New Zealand or via Brisbane with Qantas and Jetstar.
DETAILS
alifetimeofgreatness.com
gbrbiology.com
tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
New Zealand Herald was hosted by courtesy of Tropical Tourism North Queensland.