Australia

 

This will be Bleubeard's and my penultimate spread using our theme, recycle, reuse, repurpose at Art Journal Journey.

Bleubeard and I are headed for the "Land Down Under."  We're going to check out the Great Barrier Reef, although Bleubeard refuses to leave the boat.  We'll then head to Lord Howe Island which is off New South Wales.

The Great Barrier Reef is found off Queensland, but there are coral reefs off Lord Howe Island, too.

The Great Barrier Reef is by far the world's largest coral reef system in the world.  It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.  It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.  According to National Geographic, it is now endangered due to coral bleaching caused by warmer water temperatures.  Additionally, also according to National Geographic:

Chemical runoff and other forms of pollution, coastal development, and overfishing all can harm coral and reduce biodiversity. So can large storms such as cyclones. Species that live in the reef can also cause damage. One major pest species is the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci). A starfish may sound harmless, but these venomous creatures voraciously eat coral. Every so often, their numbers spike. Some scientists think these starfish caused over half of the reef damage from 1985 to 2012.

I was surprised to learn that even though coral reefs cover less than one percent (1%) of the sea floor, about one quarter (1/4) of the world's marine biodiversity can be found in these reefs.

I love the Southern Cross on the Australian international air mail sticker.  Bleubeard and I are now headed to Lord Howe Island, which is part of New South Wales.  It is located in the Tasman Sea and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This is mainly because of so many animals and plants that are found nowhere else in the world.  Per UNESCO:

Lord Howe Island supports a number of endangered endemic species or subspecies of plants and animals, for example the Lord Howe Woodhen, which at time of inscription was considered one of the world’s rarest birds. While sadly a number of endemic species disappeared with the arrival of people and their accompanying species, the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, the largest stick insect in the world, still exists on Balls Pyramid. The islands are an outstanding example of an oceanic island group with a diverse range of ecosystems and species that have been subject to human influences for a relatively limited period. 

Further, also according to UNESCO:

The Lord Howe Island Group was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982.

The Lord Howe Island Group was one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007.

I first heard about Lord Howe Island when Lisca received a postcard from there.  Her research showed that 382 people lived on the island in 2016 and no more than 400 tourists are allowed there at any one time.  

According to Wikipedia, one of the biggest problems that once plagued the island was when in 1918, a ship ran aground on one of the beaches.  Rats that had been on the ship immediately inhabited the island.  Many species were either made extinct or were greatly reduced due to the rat problem.  As of 2020, the rat problem was thought to be eliminated, but in 2021, a male and a pregnant female rat were discovered.  However, many species of both plants and animals have come back even stronger than before now that the rat problem seems to be under control.

Everything Bleubeard and I created today was repurposed from various sources.  Two of the images and their titles came from an old travel brochure from a company that is no longer in business.  The top right image came from a tourist magazine that is free with my foodie friend Sally's auto insurance.  I cut the airmail sticker from a letter I received from Australia.  The background scrapbook paper was a freebie also from my foodie friend Sally.

Bleubeard and I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about the Great Barrier Reef and Lord Howe Island.  We are truly delighted you dropped by today and hope to see what you have recycled, repurposed, or reused using our theme at Art Journal Journey.