4. Present drivers

after Having introduced  a Functional ecological understanding to guide the rest of the assessment. we can begin to create an overview of the present drivers which are the underlying causes of change in the environment . In an article from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, they  propose six broad drivers that influence pressure on and change of the Great Barrier Reef: Climate change ,Population growth ,Economic growth ,Technological developments, Societal attitudes ,Governance systems Although informative, these categories don't directly inform the assessment about the regionally present drivers.Each broad driver can be further specified to inform the assessment of present drivers such as anthropogenic inputs of agricultural nutrients and xenobiotics or novel entities, sediments from erosion, dredging etc., ship traffic and other marine activities. These should then be analysed to translated into the specific stress effects they may cause.