Australia’s national science agency has collaborated with mining giant BHP to study the Ningaloo coral reef off the coast of Western Australia (WA), it was reported on Monday.
Under the A$7 million Ningaloo Outlook partnership, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and BHP will work together to collect information to support the conservation of the reef, reports Xinhua news agency.
Ningaloo Reef stretches for about 300 km and is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef. It is one of WA’s biggest tourist attractions.
According to the CSIRO, it is one of the cleanest reefs in the world with an average of about two items of plastic debris per square kilometre, compared to thousands of pieces on Australia’ most popular beaches.
The CSIRO has been studying turtles and tracking the movements of whale sharks on the reef since 2015. (IANS)