After an extensive six-month study, Deloitte Access Economics has come up with a price tag for the Great Barrier Reef: AU$56 billion. This takes into account the "economic, social and, iconic value" of the reef, including some 64,000 direct and indirect jobs that exist because of it. In the scheme of Australia's economy, that's significant. The report estimates the reef generates some $6.4 billion every year, with $3.9 billion of this going directly into the state of Queensland. "This report sends a clear message that the Great Barrier Reef—as an ecosystem, as an economic driver, as a global treasure—is too ... (full story)