Climate crisis driving divers to restore Great Barrier Reef: Australian Study

A recent study has found that emotions such as grief, sadness, and hope are motivating divers to take part in restoration efforts on the Great Barrier Reef, which is increasingly at risk due to climate change.

According to a statement released by the University of Adelaide on Friday, the study investigated how active participation in reef conservation diving can foster strong emotional and sensory bonds between people and marine ecosystems. It challenges the concept of human exceptionalism — the idea that humans are distinct from or superior to nature.

Based on interviews and field observations, the study highlighted that direct interaction with the underwater environment — such as touching coral and feeling water pressure — evokes deep empathy and a sense of responsibility among divers, the release stated.

The findings suggest that emotional responses like grief over environmental degradation can motivate individuals to take action for marine conservation, especially as climate uncertainty grows.

"Grief can incorporate a cautious but active hope... It reveals how emotional pain can move people toward protecting what is left," said Ella Vallelonga, an anthropologist at the University of Adelaide and the study’s lead author.

The research, which appears in the Journal of Anthropology, is based on 13 months of ethnographic fieldwork — an immersive approach to studying communities and cultural practices — conducted in Far North Queensland between 2022 and 2023.

Vallelonga noted that when restoration divers engage in hands-on coral care within marine nurseries, their altered sensory experience and vulnerability lead to a stronger emotional connection and a protective attitude toward the corals.

The Great Barrier Reef continues to face mounting threats from heatwaves, coral bleaching, pollution, and marine predators.

Although interventions by divers and scientists can enhance reef resilience, Vallelonga stressed that these efforts alone are not enough and emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive global climate action.