View the Coral Sea photo gallery.

The Coral Sea is one of Australia's most precious natural heritage jewels, stretching from the outer boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the edge of Australia's territorial waters - in some places more than 200 nautical miles off the Queensland coast.

It is often referred to as the 'Serengeti of the Sea' - for its teeming abundance of wildlife and vast undeveloped plains.

A series of spectacular coral reefs rise thousands of metres from the sea floor and play host to some of the underwater world's most magnificent marine animals. Bountiful fish populations including vast schools of grey and white tip reef sharks, hammerheads, manta rays, tuna, barracuda, trevally and rare sea creatures such as the nautililus inhabit the waters, alongside an amazing and diverse range of corals.

Unlike the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef, which faces a number of pressures, the Coral Sea is virtually untouched and - due to its remoteness - largely unprotected.

Threats:

The impacts of legal and illegal fishing pose a significant risk to the marine region. If the reefs of the Coral Sea became targeted for shark fins for the Asian market, the shark populations would quickly be decimated. The region has also been earmarked for future oil and gas exploration and, with climate change increasing water temperatures, the Coral Sea reefs are also highly susceptible to coral bleaching.

The trip was used to raise public awareness of the Coral Sea, monitor and research key marine species such as grey reef sharks, manta rays and the rare nautilus.

Our Campaign:

WWF is calling on all Australians to help persuade the Australian Government to declare the entire Coral Sea region a Marine Protected Area, and safeguard it before irreversible damage is done.

From September 1-6 2007, WWF-Australia chartered the Undersea Explorer, a 25-metre diving and research vessel, on a trip to the Coral Sea, with some of Australia's leading marine scientists, underwater film-makers, photographers and conservationists. The trip was used to raise public awareness of the Coral Sea, monitor and research key marine species such as tiger sharks, manta rays and the rare nautilus as well as register the impacts of climate change on the reef.

The trip garnered both national and international media interest and coverage, and has prompted the Australian government to seriously consider the future of the Coral Sea.

We are very close to achieving our goal, but we need your help.