Marine Life Threatened by the Toxic Pollution from Floods in Australia

According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) warning issued on 10 January 2011, Toxic pollution from flooded farms and towns along Australia’s Queensland coast is likely to have dangerous effect on the Great Barrier Reef’s Corals and also to impact adversely the life of turtles, dugongs and other marine life. As per WWF warning, not only the flood costs farmers and communities terribly, it will result into the water quality on the Great Barrier Reef declining.

WWF stressed on the need of restoring woodlands in flood prone areas to protect communities and the marine environment from future floods. Because of excessive deforestation and overgrazing, floods have become more dangerous. Because of lesser trees, water cut deep inside the soil, resulting into the increased erosive intensity of floods. Trees and wetlands are important in a way that they slow flood waters down and absorb water and reduce the impact of floods.

Climate change can increase the occurrence of drought and floods causing more damage to soils and increasing the devastating impact of floods.