For a considerably long time, Australian lifestyles have affected the health of the natural environment. The demanding requirements of this lifestyle have taken a toll on nature itself, presenting many challenges for the natural environment to tackle. This essay will discuss the environmental impacts of the Australian lifestyle on the natural environment and the ways these problems are being addressed. On the one hand, the Great Barrier Reef has experienced significant issues over the past few years in relation to rapid coastal development, tourism, climate change and diffuse pollution; additionally, water pollution has greatly affected the Australian water quality, factoring in climate change issues, pollutant laws and drinking water quality. On the other hand, there are many solutions and plans in place to help counter the problems the natural environment faces, including the regulation of agricultural land uses and correct water quality management. Overall, the Australian lifestyle has had a negative impact on the natural environment, but recent years have allowed plans to assess and solve many of the problems the environment faces.
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced a myriad of significant problems over the past few decades, many of which are in relation to tourism, coastal development, diffuse pollution from agriculture and climate change. The iconic Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2300km along the Queensland coast, and as far as 400km from the coast to the outer reefs, covering an area of over 360 000km ² (Gardner 2012, p.116). The marine tourism industry has been under heavy amounts of stress over the last decade, with advertised biodiversity been steadily declining in many areas (Biggs 2012, p. 1). Brodie (2012, p. 10) states that tourist activities in the Great Barrier Reef have been relatively minor over the years, with the exception of anchoring in tourist boats as well as recreational boats breaking many coral branches with anchors.