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John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a Florida State Park located on Key Largo in Florida. It includes approximately 70 nautical square miles (240 km 2 ) of adjacent Atlantic Ocean waters. The park is approximately 25 miles in length and extends 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean along the prominent Hawk Channel passage.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the care and protection of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.It uses a range of tools to manage the marine park including Acts and Regulations, zoning plan, plans of management, traditional owner agreements, partnerships, stewardship and best practice, education, research and monitoring and reporting.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, [1] [2] composed of over 2,900 individual reefs [3] and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi).
An image of the island and nearby coral reefs taken with the Seaview SVII camera. Lady Elliot Island is the southernmost coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.The island lies 46 nautical miles (85 km; 53 mi) north-east of Bundaberg and covers an area of approximately 45 hectares (110 acres).
It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America [1] and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has extensive mangrove forest and seagrass fields. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, designated on December 28, 1990, [2] was the ninth national marine sanctuary to be established.
The barrier is widest in the north with a maximum width of about one kilometre (0.62 miles) and narrows to the south to a width of about 100 to 200 metres (330 to 660 feet). [12] The barrier, which consists mainly of aeolian sands, extends more than 30 metres (98 feet) below the present sea level in places.
Cairns is a major international destination for water sports and scuba diving due to its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. Other recreational activities popular with tourists include whitewater rafting, skydiving, hang gliding, kitesurfing and snorkelling. [citation needed]
In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was inscribed on the world heritage list. [10] Tourism is regarded to be an important way that Australia can fulfill its duty to present the Great Barrier Reef in accordance with the world heritage convention. [6] In the 1980s, tourism in the Great Barrier Reef region expanded rapidly. [11]