[LINK] We live in interesting times.... Or - is the gold standard really extinct.

[David Lochrin]

On Wednesday 22 October 2008 14:00, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> So what if the Barrier Reef goes....China flooded the Three Gorges 
> and Bagdahd is pretty uninhabitable.

Words fail me....

Leaving aside the effects on the foodchain which would be felt even at your local supermarket, the loss of tourist-related income would affect everyone.  For an indication of the magnitude of that see http://www.ozcoasts.org.au/indicators/econ_cons_declining_biodiversity.jsp

/QUOTE
In the first example, it is estimated that in 1999 approximately 75,000 people visited Hervey Bay on Queensland's central coast to watch the Humpback Whales.  Using statistics on visitor expenditure and length of stay in the area from the Bureau of Tourism Research (BTR), it is estimated that expenditure by visitors on whale watching in 1999 could have been in the vicinity of $12m [8].  In addition to this direct expenditure, there would be significant flow-on impacts on the regional economy to help service the accommodation, travel and services required by these visitors.  In another example, it is estimated that approximately 436,000 people visited the biologically diverse Daintree region of north Queensland in 2000.  In the previous year, visitors alone were estimated to contribute approximately $1.856 billion to the regional economy [9].  World heritage listed Fraser Island attracted approximately 332,000 people to its shores in the 2000-2001 period.  Visitor expenditure in 1999 contributed $366 million to the regional economy [10]. Tourism to the Great Barrier Reef is estimated to be worth over $2 billion to the Australian economy each year [11].
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David