· A World of Coral and Grasses
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

The Western Australian Marine ecoregion contains the largest barrier reefs in the Indian Ocean and one of the largest and most species-rich sea grass meadows in the world.  

A World of Coral and Grasses

You put on a mask and snorkel and start to swim. Before you lies an underwater world of rainbow-colored coral and dense beds of waving sea grasses. You're in the Western Australian Marine ecoregion, where open-ocean coral atolls and fringing and barrier reefs extend for more than 1,900 miles (3,000 km) along the western coast of Australia.

Special Features

Shark Bay is home to 10 percent of the dugongs (manatee-like marine mammals) in the world. It is also the site of Wooramel Bank, an extensive underwater meadow where 12 different species of seagrass grow.

	One of the reasons that Shark Bay was named a World Heritage site in 1991 is the presence of living stromatolites. These structures are formed by colonies of bacteria that are among the oldest forms of life on Earth.

Wild Side

The waters teem with damselfish, wobbegong sharks, and long-finned sea pike. Bottlenose dolphins, Australian sea lions and three whale species -- humpback, Byrde's, and minke -- are regularly seen around reefs and in lagoons during migration season. Flatback, green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles find plenty to eat as they glide through the sea grasses. The piercing cries of sooty terns fill the air. Dugongs feed on sea grasses.At least 12 species of sea snakes live here, as do endemic species of red crab and starshell.

Cause for Concern

Dredging, the dumping of dredge spoil, mining of reefs, and run-off from agriculture threaten the reefs. Tourism, recreation, pollution, oil spills, and oil exploration from nearby land and waterways are major threats.

Looking Ahead

Check back soon for more about the conservation of this ecoregion.