Guardians of the Reef

Of the 7 species of sea turtles all are classified as vulnerable endangered or on the edge of extinction One of the main reasons for this is the degradation of their nesting spots Raine Island is also the most important seabird rookery or breeding ground in the Great Barrier Reef home to 20000 breeding pairs of Frigatebirds Their survival is intimately tied to that of the turtle colony

Whales manta rays and whale sharks are all consumers of animal plankton or small fish which are themselves huge consumers of vegetable plankton These marine algae produce half of the oxygen on Earth and capture 40 percent of the carbon dioxide The sea giants are real allies in regulating the Earths climate and restoring essential reef productivity