For the past couple of years before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was concern of a looming crisis for the Great Barrier Reef, due to mass coral bleaching and overcrowding on the reefs. Now with a lack of visiting crowds, is this a boon for reef regeneration?
Not really, says coral reef expert Prof. Terry Hughes, saying it could have the opposite effect. "Tourism provides a social and economic rationale for why the reef needs to be better protected," Hughes said.
