Tourists can take a walk on the wild side with yellowtail fusiliers swimming around their feet at the Moore Reef, around 40km east of the city of Cairns in Australia.

The colourful fish, which feed on plankton, inhabit coral reefs and are commonly found in large schools near the surface of the water.

Moore Reef is on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, and also the biggest structure made by living organisms. It covers an area large enough to be seen from space.

Coral reefs and the wildlife that inhabits them are threatened by climate change, with a United Nations report released earlier this month warning that coral reefs were likely to decline between 70 per cent and 90 per cent should global temperatures rise 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels. TOMORROW: The Sunday Times reports on a visit to northern Queensland to see first hand the impact of global warming, and to speak to scientists, tour operators and conservationists passionate about saving the reef for future generations.