Our ecosystem is a house of cards. The energy to build it comes from the sun and it’s founded on plants, algae and an entire food chain that feeds humans and animals alike. Humans are part of a pyramid and only several degrees separated from all life on earth. Each species we displace destabilises the house, so as pressure from climate change escalates, the risk of collapse becomes more and more foreseeable.

Lihou has offered us a real perspective on the inter-relationship of plants, animals and the ocean. It serves as a reminder that the ecosystem is finely balanced and that small changes in our every day lives can increase or remedy pressure on the earth.

The Coral Sea is a special place to visit. It has unique values and is worthy of international conservation recognition and protection. We’ll be back here next year so in the mean time, we hope that world leaders for climate and biodiversity, can take the first steps towards a new understanding of the importance of species on our planet.