Over 1.2 million people throughout the globe have thrown their support behind the initiative seeking to secure a Lifetime Achievement Award for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in the United Nations Environment Programme's highly regarded Champions of the Earth environmental awards.
Titled Lifetime of Greatness, the campaign encourages people to discover the 10,000 years of positive impact that the Great Barrier Reef has had on the environment.
It is also an open invitation for the world to come and visit the Great Barrier Reef to appreciate its beauty and value so that they too can return home inspired to better nurture the planet.
The global campaign was made possible by Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and the grant funding received from the Australian Government under the International Tourism Recovery Program administered by Austrade.
An impactful initiative
TTNQ chief executive Mark Olsen said global awareness of the value of the Great Barrier Reef as a mentor teaching people to work together for the future of the planet was growing with coverage of the Lifetime of Greatness campaign exceeding five billion.
Olsen said: “The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's Reef Guardian Councils have collaborated with the communities of the Great Barrier Reef including Traditional Owners, marine biologists, the tourism industry and Reef Guardian Schools to nominate the World Heritage Area as the first non-human recipient of the award.”
He added that the nomination caught the attention of the global media, generating $13.2 million worth of publicity over the past couple of months.
Olsen declared: “The tourism industry sees the impact the Great Barrier Reef has on individuals every day; it really is life changing for many people who visit and finally understand how important this World Heritage area is for biodiversity, Indigenous culture and jobs.
