The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Red reef crab. Photo: GBRMPA.

Protecting the Reef

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's most significant environmental, economic and social assets, and has been recognised as one of the healthiest coral reef ecosystems, and best managed marine areas in the world.

It is one of the richest and most diverse natural ecosystems on Earth, and is home to an extraordinary variety of species.

It attracts more than 1.6 million visitors each year, contributes more than $5 billion to the Australian economy, and generates about 63,000 jobs.

Australia is proud of the way we look after our world heritage properties. We have an excellent track record managing the Great Barrier Reef as a multi-use property, and are committed to sustainable development that ensures the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef is not compromised.

The Australian Government recently allocated funding of $8 million over two years from the Caring for our Country program to ensure that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority can continue its management and community-based Reef Guardian programs effectively.

Funding of $12.5 million over four years commencing in 2013-14 will also be provided to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, which protects and preserves the Reef by coordinating strategic research in such areas as reef resilience and climate change.

Australia continues to support a policy that does not allow exploration for resources, or mining and extraction in world heritage areas.

See below for more information about how we manage the Great Barrier Reef.

Managing the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

World Heritage Committee concerns

At its last meeting in June 2011 the World Heritage Committee expressed concerns about the approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Curtis Island, located within the Port of Gladstone in Queensland.

At 348,000 square kilometres, the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area covers a big part of the Queensland coast, so some development within the area is inevitable. But we can make sure that the use and development is sustainable in the long term.

Environmental conditions and management

The LNG projects on Curtis Island were approved with strict environmental conditions. In approving the projects, the minister was satisfied that the impacts on the environment - including world heritage values - were low and that that the impacts could be managed and mitigated.

The three approved LNG facility sites represent an extremely small proportion of the 348,000 square kilometre world heritage area. The companies must secure offset areas five times the size of their project sites, and manage those sites to improve their environmental values.

Government commitments

The Australian Government takes very seriously the concerns raised by the World Heritage Committee. In response, the Australian Government has committed to several activities.

State Party report

A joint international monitoring mission to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) took place between 6 and 14 March 2012.

State Party report on the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Monitoring mission

The department invited the delegation to assess the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

The WHC provided Terms of Reference which outlined their objectives for the monitoring mission. The Australian Government worked closely with the WHC and the IUCN to arrange details of the mission. The mission visited various locations and met with a broad range of stakeholders including government, industry and non-government organisation representatives and Traditional Owners.

The mission team will now draft a report on the mission including recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which will be publicly available several weeks before the Committee's 36th session in June/July 2012 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.

The World Heritage Committee is the decision-making body that will decide on the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, and the property is included as an item on the agenda of the Committee meeting. It is also anticipated that the Committee will make recommendations on the comprehensive strategic assessment that is underway.

Comprehensive strategic assessment

The Australian and Queensland governments are working together to identify opportunities to ensure that development within and adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is sustainable in the long-term through a comprehensive strategic assessment

Strategic assessments enable a 'big-picture' approach to environment and heritage protection that provides certainty in the long term, by assessing the adequacy of management arrangements for the area. In particular, the strategic assessment will consider where sustainable development might occur, the types of development that will be allowed, and the conditions under which these types of development may proceed.

The public comment period on the draft terms of reference for each of the components has now closed. However, there will be further opportunities for public input during the strategic assessment process. For more information see our Strategic Assessment - Great Barrier Reef web page.

Reporting to the World Heritage Centre

The department has developed an agreed administrative procedure to notify the World Heritage Centre on a regular basis of proposed developments in all of Australia's world heritage areas.

On 31 October 2011, the department notified the World Heritage Centre of all proposed developments being assessed as controlled actions for potential impacts on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999).

Notification of the World Heritage Centre of proposed developments that may impact on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (PDF - 73 KB) | (Word - 355 KB) - October 2011

On 15 November 2011 a further report was provided regarding proposed developments with potential impacts on Australia's other world heritage properties

Notification of the World Heritage Centre of proposed developments that may impact on Australia's World Heritage properties (PDF - 46 KB) | (Word - 346 KB) - November 2011

The most recent report was provided on 14 March 2012:

Report on Development Proposals for all of Australia's World Heritage Properties (PDF - 31 KB) | (Word - 117 KB) - March 2012

Protecting the Great Barrier Reef

Australia continues to invest significantly to monitor and protect the reef, and increase its resilience in the long term, while allowing sustainable use of this natural wonder.

Investment

For example, the Australian Government is investing $200 million dollars over five years (2008-2013) under the Reef Rescue initiative which aims to reduce the discharge of dissolved nutrients and chemicals from agricultural lands to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by 25 per cent, and to reduce the discharge of sediment and nutrients by 10 per cent. This includes:

$158 million for the Water Quality Grants and Partnerships program;
$22 million for the Reef Rescue Water Quality Monitoring and reporting program;
$10 million for the Reef Rescue Research and Development program; and
$10 million for the Reef Rescue Land and Sea Country Indigenous Partnerships program.

The Australian Government is also investing $9 million to implement the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan, and $28.5 million under its national environmental research program for the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait, and Wet Tropics Rainforest.

The Australian Government also recently announced further funding to develop eReefs, which will enable better management of the reef.

Further information:

Legislation

The reef is protected by two complementary pieces of federal legislation - the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975,which oversees activities in the marine park, and Australia's key national environment legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which protects nationally significant matters including the Great Barrier Reef World and National Heritage area, as well as listed migratory and threatened species, and the environment in the Commonwealth marine area.

These Acts provide a world class system of environment and heritage protection that won an international award only last year - the World Future Council's Future Policy Award - which honours exemplary laws that promote sustainability and equity.

The Australian Government recently strengthened this protection by listing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as a matter of national environmental significance in its own right.

To ensure use of the Great Barrier Reef remains sustainable, activities in the World Heritage Area and marine park are tightly controlled under these laws, as well as other relevant state and federal laws.

For example, commercial shipping is strictly regulated including through a ship reporting system, coastal vessel tracking service, compulsory pilotage, navigational aids, marine pollution response plans, and designated shipping areas.

The Australian Government has also introduced new laws to increase the penalties for oil spills in the Great Barrier Reef to $11 million dollars, to deter shipping companies and their crews from engaging in unsafe and irresponsible actions at sea.

Heritage values

Relevant links

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