Word on the Reef

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🐢  Sea turtles can grow to the size of a table, navigate using magnets in their brain, and fight off gangs of sharks. 🦈  But after 100 million years in our oceans, their existence is now under threat. This week we visit Raine Island with Marine Biologist and Emmy-winning cinematographer Richard Fitzpatrick to find out why.

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• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

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This week we visit a coral nursery near Port Douglas, to see how tourism operators are teaming up with scientists to care for their patches of reef. The Coral Nurture Program is showing promising results - but what are its limitations, and what role does it play in protecting our Reef? 🪸

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

The Marine Park Authority has confirmed the Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its seventh mass coral bleaching event - the fifth in just eight years, driven by global warming 🫠 This week we head to stunning Lizard Island to find out what's causing this disaster and what we can all do to help 🏝️ 

Note: At the end of the episode I mentioned a petition you can sign to help protect the Reef; I've just been notified that the petition is still under construction and will hopefully be live some time next week (from 25 March).

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

“The Reef is our nervous system. It’s made up of land, sea , sky, animals, and people… Once we destroy that nervous system, it’s critical damage for our body. Because we are all one." 🙌🏽 🌏 This week, Gooreng Gooreng man Malachi Johnson talks about how Indigenous ways of viewing the world can help us heal our relationship with the Reef, heal our relationship with each other, and ultimately, heal ourselves. 🖤💛❤️

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

The Marine Park Authority has confirmed severe coral bleaching is unfolding on the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef 🪸 So this week, we head to Heron Island to meet the island's chief scientist and see first-hand what's happening 🏝️.

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

What is the limit of coral resilience? To help us unpack this question, this week we're joined by Dr Kate Quigley, a molecular ecologist who has spent years studying corals up close 🪸. Lately, Kate has been selectively breeding corals to try and increase their heat tolerance 🫠 - a race against time as the Reef starts to show the first signs of coral bleaching for 2024.

Together, we break down the 2024 mass bleaching event, why some corals are more sensitive than others, what really happens when corals bleach, and how long they can hang on before it's too late. Most importantly, we discuss what you can do to help protect these underwater wonders.

Whether you're a seasoned diver or a curious listener, this episode will deepen your understanding of coral life—and what's at stake in a warming world.

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

This week we're off on a snorkelling adventure to meet the curious creatures who built the Great Barrier Reef. 🪸 On this fun and immersive tour, learn which types of coral grow on the Reef, what it's made from, how it grows, what it eats, how it reproduces, what poses the biggest threat to its existence, and what we can all do to protect it!

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...

Send us Fan Mail

Meet our host and tour guide Tanya for a scenic flight over the world's largest Reef. ✈️  We'll spot some marine life 🐳 and learn about how the Reef was formed, its history, and some of the threats it is facing. You won’t believe what we’ll see along the way!

Support the show

-------

• SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a supporter to connect with Tanya and Brett, get a shout-out on the show, ask us questions and suggest episode topics! 
• Got questions? Email [email protected]
• Follow @WordOnTheReefPodcast on Instagram

PROTECT THE REEF - Sign these Petitions Now!

• Australian Marine Conservation Society: Australia, it's time to lead on Climate Action!
• Divers for Climate: Sign the 'I'm a Diver for Climate' National Statement
• Australian Conservation Foundation: No New Coal and Gas!
• Queensland Conservation Council: Take Strong Climate Action and Build a Positive Renewable Future!
• Our Islands Our Home: Protect the Torres Strait Islands from Climate Change
• Greenpeace: Save the Great Barrier Reef!
• WWF Australia: Protect Nature
• Rising Ti...