5. Commercial and non-commercial use

The Reef’s outstanding universal value, underpinned by its biophysical and natural heritage values, is one of the primary reasons why people visit the Reef for recreational purposes. In 2021, 90 per cent of the Region’s residents felt proud that the Reef is a World Heritage Area, which was slightly less than in 2017.¹⁰⁷⁵ The Reef provides constantly evolving recreational and lifestyle opportunities for people to engage with it. These opportunities allow people to develop a sense of identity based on living within the Region and to develop an attachment to the Region (78 per cent feel a strong sense of belonging to where they live).¹⁰⁷⁵ However, feelings of attachment due to specific reasons, such as one’s lifestyle or family and friends, and a sense that the Reef is ‘part of their identity’, were not quite as strongly or commonly experienced by people. Some 53 per cent of respondents agreed that the Reef is part of their identity, a level that has been maintained since 2017.¹⁰⁷⁵

The Reef contributes to the wellbeing of people by providing physical and psychological benefits. In 2021, 83 per cent of residents stated that living in the Region contributed to their overall wellbeing.¹⁰⁷⁵ Two-thirds to three-quarters of recreational users agree that they experienced physical and psychological benefits when interacting with the Reef — helping to feel better physically, de-stress, relax, and improve their capacity to concentrate and clear their thoughts.¹⁰⁷⁵ However, declines in Reef condition are interlinked with human wellbeing.

Half of the residents felt that their lifestyle would be negatively affected by a decline in the health of the Reef.¹⁰⁷⁵ Ecological grief is experienced by residents of the Region ¹¹⁵⁸ with 59 per cent of respondents feeling sad and disappointed when hearing about damage to the Reef.¹⁰⁷⁵

As well as being a key part of people’s identity and wellbeing, recreational use of the Reef is woven into the social fabric of coastal communities and generates significant regional economic value. In the 2015–16 financial year, recreational activities (including recreational fishing) were one of the prominent direct uses of the Region, generating $346 million (value-added) to the Australian economy.¹³²⁴ In Queensland, non-fishing marine recreational activities generated $4.5 billion in output ¹¹⁹⁸ mostly attributed to expenditure on equipment, including the purchase of boats and repair of recreational equipment. Recreational users contribute to the long-term protection and management of the Region’s values by adopting best practices and being engaged in stewardship programs. Recreational users of the Reef are highly engaged in low-cost simple actions such as disposing of food scraps and rubbish appropriately, avoiding touching corals and marine life, and responsible anchoring.¹⁰⁷⁵ These users are moderately engaged in more effortful actions such as reporting suspicious activity to the authorities, using the Eye on the Reef app and participating in Reef-related community activities. 

Residents’ attitudes and beliefs towards Reef stewardship are positive, with more than 80 per cent agreeing that it is the responsibility of everyone and that they are morally obligated to reduce their impacts on the Reef.¹⁰⁷⁵ Recreational users collect valuable information on Reef condition, marine animals and incidents through programs such as Eye on the Reef, Reef Guardians, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef ^1379,1380 and the Strandings Hotline. These community-based programs are built to empower people to understand trends in condition and reduce threats to the Region. For example, in 2022–23, more than 300 people submitted more than 4000 interesting or unusual sightings in the Region through the Eye on the Reef mobile app.¹¹⁸⁶