Great Barrier Reef needs $785m protection fund

The Great Barrier Reef needs investment of A$785 million (£426m) over the next five years to protect it from pollution, according to a new report.

Climate change and water pollution are forming a “double whammy” on the reef off the east Australian coast.

The Reef Regions Investment Plan was conducted by six natural resource management groups operating in the state of Queensland and has found that floodplains, wetlands, and estuaries are the most degraded parts of the reef’s eco-system.

The study calls for co-operation from farmers and careful coastal planning measures to avoid further damage degradation.

The reef is a major tourist destination and provides a rich and diverse marine habitat but is facing various threats including rising sea temperatures and pollution from agriculture.

The report also highlights the destruction of coral by outbreaks of Crown of Thorns starfish, which were caused by nitrogen run-offs from farms.

Authors of the study said: “Managing, repairing and protecting the reef is not a start-stop-restart activity,” and called for secure investment, as well as five-yearly progress reviews and the “readjustment of priorities and investment profile in the context of review findings”.

The study also assessed the Australian government’s plan to protect the reef, suggested that many of the targets in the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan could be unrealistic, especially without further investment.

The reef’s eco-system is projected to come under further strain with the proposed expansion of ports in the region to facilitate the ever increasing exporting of coal.