AUSTRALIA: Sparkling in the tropical waters 30 miles east of Cairns in northern Queensland, Moore Reef is home to staghorn corals, wrasse, parrotfish, sea slugs and grey reef sharks. And if plans before the Queensland government go through, it could also see its first wedding chapel by the end of next year.
The EcoReef proposal by the tour operator Sunlover Cruises would involve building a floating island the size of a football pitch in the placid waters of the Moore Reef lagoon in the Great Barrier Reef.
The pontoon, moored in 20 metres of water, would be covered in artificial rock and would include a three-storey visitors' centre inside a hill at one end.
It would hold shops, classrooms, an underwater cafe, a children's play area and accommodation. The wedding chapel is understood to be for the benefit of east Asian tourists, who make up around two-thirds of visitors to Queensland.
"It's a really tacky proposal and it would probably open the door for a whole lot of other nasty developments in the world heritage area," said a local environmentalist. - (Guardian Service)