The Final Fight for the Bight
We’re supporting our mates from Surfers for Climate and the Great Australian Bight Alliance in the final push to obtain UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor.
The Great Australian Bight is a wild, rugged patch of ocean stretching almost 1200km along Australia's southern coast. The ocean (‘Bight’) below the limestone cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain is a biodiversity hotspot. CSIRO research showed it is home to 85% of marine species that exist nowhere else in the world. The Bight is a breeding ground for “flagship species” like endangered southern right whales, pygmy blue whales, sperm whales, dolphins, and 80% of Australia’s remaining sea lions. It is also habitat for fine coral, microbial organisms and crustaceans.
The Wilderness Society states that the Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor meet seven of the 10 criteria for Outstanding Universal Value, “making the area one of the most diverse and valuable heritage properties in the world.”
“I feel like in Australia, we are blessed that we've got lots of wild, expansive places,” explains Surfers for Climate co-founder, Johnny Abegg. “The Great Australian Bight is one of these places. Until you go there, you can’t really understand the impact of how beautiful it is. It is pristine. And as humans, we all need these places like the Bight. We all need healthy, thriving oceans. Because if they're not protected, then we're just going to disappear as well.”
SIGN THE NATIONAL PETITION FOR UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE STATUS VIA LINK BELOW