Lizard Island

Lizard Island

Context: A severe bleaching event has devastated 97% of the coral at Australia’s Lizard Island within three months, driven by extreme heat stress.

• Lizard Island, also called Jiigurru or Dyiigurra, is part of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia.
• The traditional owners of the island are the Dingaal (or Dingiil, also known as Walmbarddha or Walmbaria) people, an Aboriginal Australian clan.

Great Barrier Reef

• It is located in the Pacific Ocean, off the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, within the Coral Sea.
• It holds the distinction of being the longest and largest coral reef system in the world.
• It stretches in a northwest-southeast direction for over 2,000 km.
• It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.