Resources

Cairns Post

11 December 2013


A LEADING Queensland marine scientist has painted a bleak outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, claiming rising sea temperatures could kill it by 2100.

University of Queensland reef expert Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg has released a new book on climate change, suggesting sea temperatures could rise 4C by 2100 in a worst-case scenario. Read more

 

 

 

ABC News

16 June 2014


Stunning before and after pictures that show the exact extent of the damage Tropical Cyclone Ita caused to the Great Barrier Reef have been released by an environmental research team.

While much of far north Queensland was spared the worst of the cyclone, the storm was still a category five when it crossed sections of the outer reef. Read more

 

 

 

The Guardian

15 August 2013


Dredging could be more harmful to the Great Barrier Reef than previously thought, a government-commissioned report has found, amid fresh warnings over the impact of coastal industrialisation on sea turtles and dugongs.

The WWF claimed the report proved that the dredging and dumping of seabed sediment near the reef should be banned. Read more

 

 

 

The Guardian

08 October 2013


American environmental groups have escalated a lawsuit against the US government which aims to prevent it funding two "deadly" gas facilities beside the Great Barrier Reef.

The three groups have filed a challenge to the funding of a second facility, which is being backed by the US Export-Import Bank, to add to an original lawsuit that was launched in December last year. Read more

 

 

 

ABC News

31 January 2014


The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved a proposal to dump dredge spoil from the Abbot Point coal terminal expansion in the Marine Park area.

Three million cubic metres of spoil must be dredged as part of the project at Bowen in North Queensland green-lighted by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt last month. Read more

 

 

 

Environmental Research Web

13 June 2013


Researchers in Australia who have carried out a risk assessment of the governance systems for the Great Barrier Reef say urgent action is needed to improve key aspects of the way the reef is managed.

"The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently expressed concern about the governance of the reef," said Allan Dale from the Cairns Institute of James Cook University. Read more

 

 

 

The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 is a stock-take of the Great Barrier Reef, its management and its future.

The aim of the Outlook Report is to provide information about:

  • The condition of the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef Region (including the ecosystem outside the Region where it affects the Region);

• Social and economic factors influencing the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem;
• Management effectiveness of the Great Barrier Reef; and
• Risk-based assessment of the long-term outlook for the Region.

The Report underpins decision-making for the long term protection of the Great Barrier Reef. It was prepared by the GBRMPA based on the best available information and was independently peer reviewed. Many people contributed to the development of the Outlook Report including:

• Australian and Queensland Government agencies
• Leading Great Barrier Reef scientists and researchers
• Industry representatives
• Advisory committees
• Members of regional communities and the public.

The publication of an Outlook Report was a key recommendation of the review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. A report is to be prepared every five years and given to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities for tabling in both houses of the Australian Parliament.

The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 is the first of these reports.

 

The Conversation

16 July 2013


Last week, the Australian and Queensland governments released a reef report card which found the overall condition of the reef in 2010-2011 was “poor”. This was compared to its “moderate” condition in 2009.

Poor water quality, caused by run-off from farms and grazing properties, has long had detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef’s health. Given that voluntary water quality initiatives have failed, it’s time to seriously consider tougher measures. Read more

 

 

 

A MARINE “lost world” has been found in the Torres Strait with dozens of coral species never before identified in the region, including some new to Australian waters.

Scientists have released findings from extensive biodiversity surveys carried out near Mer (Murray), Erub (Darnley) and Masig (Yorke) islands all northeast of Cape York over the past three years. Read more

Cairns Post

10 November 2014


A MARINE “lost world” has been found in the Torres Strait with dozens of coral species never before identified in the region, including some new to Australian waters.

Scientists have released findings from extensive biodiversity surveys carried out near Mer (Murray), Erub (Darnley) and Masig (Yorke) islands all northeast of Cape York over the past three years. Read more

 

 

 

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