16 July 2025 marks the start of an interesting human narrative about the Great Barrier Reef. On this day 50 years ago the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act was assented to in parliament. The objects of the Act are environmental and human related and include conservation as well as appreciation and enjoyment, research, education, and stewardship. The first area of the marine park was proclaimed in 1979 over 12,000km2 off the Capricornia coast. The population of Queensland at that time was 23,858 people. In 2025 the marine park covers 344,400km2 and Queensland has a population of 5.468 million.
Where and how can we find harmony in this situation? What stories do we need to create?
Harmony can be defined as “an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative”. Sometimes we forget, in our narrating of marine ecosystems, that all our narratives are inherently human, we are only ever able to tell our own (human) story. This presentation reflects on the key contributions of social science to our narrative of healthy reefs and people and looks to narratives available for desired futures for marine ecosystems.