What is the Great Barrier Reef marine ecoregion?
Warm, clear seas here host over 600 kinds of corals, the highest number in the world. Reefs, seagrass, and mangroves create shelter for thousands of species. It is Earth’s richest marine region and builds vast limestone reef structures.
Related video
In context
What it is
Warm, clear seas here host over 600 kinds of corals, the highest number in the world. Reefs, seagrass, and mangroves create shelter for thousands of species. It is Earth’s richest marine region and builds vast limestone reef structures.
Why it matters
Great Barrier Reef is useful for understanding how biodiversity, environmental conditions, and human pressures come together in one marine region.
Ocean Literacy Connections
This resource can be explored through One ocean, many features, Life shapes Earth and Ocean biodiversity.
- How do different ocean places belong to one connected system?
- How do living things help shape ocean environments and Earth systems?
- How do ocean habitats support so many forms of life and interaction?
Explore and connect
Open the ecoregions view to compare regional boundaries, biodiversity context, and related ocean systems.