The Great Barrier Reef is a national treasure. Many of the animals and plants who live there can't be found anywhere else in the world. Yet the government continues to leave it vulnerable to destruction, including coal port construction and the dumping of sludge into the reef's delicate ecosystem.
But we don't have to have a lot of power or wealth to stand up for this natural wonder. An environmental group is fighting for the Great Barrier Reef to have its own legal identity so governments and developers can be held to account for putting it in danger. The approach would also allow the reef to be defended in court.