Great Barrier Reef Marathon helps protect minke whales
Published April 2015
The CANEGROWERS Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival has been raising invaluable funds for the study and protection of one of Australia's most beautiful marine animals.
On Friday 10th April, the Festival handed over a cheque to the JCU Great Barrier Reef Research Fund to the value of $15, 145.25.
These funds were a direct result of the 2014 Run for the Reef Initiative.
In 2014 the CANEGROWERS Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival hosted an additional three Fun Runs in conjunction with the Bendigo Bank’s North Queensland branches in Cairns, Atherton and Port Douglas in the lead-up to the Marathon Festival.
Funds from these three events were split between the JCU Great Barrier Reef Research Fund and local community groups nominated by the Bendigo Bank branches.
These Run for the Reef Fun Runs raised just under $3000 for both the Reef Research program and local community groups.
The annual Marathon Festival in Port Douglas also donated $20 from each registration in the 74km, 42km and 21km races as well as calling on participants to help raise funds to preserve the Great Barrier Reef.
The total funds raised by the Run for the Reef initiative was was $15,135.25.
The decision has now been made by the Board of the JCU Great Barrier Reef Research Fund to support the Minke Whale Project (MWP) with these funds.
Dwarf Minke whales visit the northern Great Barrier Reef each winter, forming the only known migration of these whales in the world.
Growing up to eight metres and weighing several tonnes, they are exceptionally inquisitive creatures often approaching boats, divers and snorkelers.
For 20 years the Minke Whale Project has conducted research to improve our understanding of these whales and contributed to the sustainable management of the multi-million dollar swim-with-whales ecotourism industry that has developed on dive vessels from Cairns and Port Douglas (e.g. Eye to Eye Marine Encounters).
Research by the MWP has so far included:
• Population studies using photo-identification
• Behavioural studies of interacting whales
• Potential impacts, risks and sustainable tourism management
• Social and economic values of the whales
• And our recent satellite-tracking program provided the first hard evidence to one of the great mysteries of the world’s oceans – where they go after leaving the Great Barrier Reef.
Jess Uhlig, the Festival's Director of Sales and Marketing, said it was very encouraging to see such support for the event and the whales.
"I think the level of support the Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival has received is absolutely fantastic and it's great to see these funds being put to such good use protecting these amazing animals," Ms Uhlig said.
"This is a wonderful thing not just for our tourism businesess but also for the natural diversity and health of the Great Barrier Reef."
Co-Chair of the Run for the Reef Research Board said the project was a unique collaboration between environmental scientists, promotions and banks.
"The establishiment of this fund and the way it raises money is a first for Australian environmental research and major events," Mr Cullen said.
"James Cook University, The Bendigo Bank and The Great Barrier Reef Marathon have forged a legacy that will service the Great Barrier Reef into the future.
"Engaging the general public to raise funds and awareness of the value of the Great Barrier Reef and the challanges it faces to survive in an ever changing world is something Australia's best researchers are excited about.
It allows every runner in every event across Queensland to become a Run for the Reef Amabassador."
The Run for the Reef program is an initiative by the CANEGROWERS Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival to help preserve our greatest natural wonder for generations to come.
The CANEGROWERS Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival is on again this year on November 1st in Port Douglas, with four Run for the Reef events in the lead up to be held in Townsville, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas.
If you’d like to get involved in any of the events and help do your part for reef research then go to the marathon website.