WWF Australia has come out swinging at the Queensland Government’s recent changes to coastal protection laws, saying they risk irreparably damaging the Great Barrier Reef, warning that it could soon be put on UNESCO’s World Heritage Danger list.

 

The conservation group said the changes announced by Premier Campbell Newman were made with no prior announcement or consultation, and would leave many coastal areas previously identified as having high ecological significance vulnerable to damaging developments.

 

“Many areas right up and down the Queensland coast, from Far North Queensland to Moreton Bay, previously received protections, but have now been left vulnerable to inappropriate development, according to Government documents,” said WWF spokesperson Sean Hoobin.



The changes remove legislative protections in the Coastal Zone and allow developments to proceed within areas that have been identified as having High Ecological Significance, including many locations in areas like the Wet Tropics and the Fraser Coast.


“The Queensland Government had told UNESCO they were committed to a Strategic Assessment to ensure the Great Barrier Reef is protected from development impacts, which flies in the face of this week’s pre-emptive removal of key protections,” Mr Hoobin said.

 

The challenge comes after The Australian Institute of Marine Science published a report that shows that the Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its coral in the last 27 years.

 

The report found that the massive loss in coral mass was due to storm damage (48 per), crown-of-thorns starfish (42 per cent) and bleaching (10 per cent).

 

"We can't stop the storms but, perhaps we can stop the starfish. If we can, then the Reef will have more opportunity to adapt to the challenges of rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification", said John Gunn, CEO of AIMS.

 

The study clearly found that tropical cyclone damage accounted for the vast majority of coral loss in the central and southern parts of the Great Barrier Reef, while the crown-of-thorns star fish was found to account for damage along the entire length of the reef system.