conservation and management of the...
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CHAPTER - VI
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE GBR
Quotation
"If enough species are extinguished, will the ecosystems collapse,
and will the extinction of most other species follow soon afterwards? The
only answer anyone can give is: possibly. By the time we find out,
however, it might be too late. One planet, one experiment." (E. O.
Wilson, "The Diversity of Life." Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press, 1992.)
Coral reefs which serve as natural indicators of the health of
coastal zones, have been cited as possible indicators of climate change,
and are valued contributors to economies the world over through their
contributions to recreation and tourism. Indeed, their biological and
economic richness has led many to observe that coral reefs are the
"rainforests of the ocean." - Comments by Undersecretary Tim Wirth, at
the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nassau, the Bahamas, December
7, 1994
With extremely complex physical structures, high levels of
primary productivity, and the highest species diversity of any biome in
their respective environments, coral reefs are in many ways the marine
analogue of tropical forests. World Resources Institute.
Introduction
Coral Reefs form exceptionally diverse and beautiful marine
ecosystems. They are the foundation, origin and offer protection to
thousands of islands, and are also of vital importance to many large
islands and continental margins for the protection of land and the
subsistence of people. Coral reefs provide subsistence, security and
cultural utility to the inhabitants of communities in all coastal tropical
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nations. Nevertheless, reef degradation is widespread all over the world.
Because of their importance to the people of developed and developing
countries, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources, considers the maintenance of reef fisheries a global
priority, because of the different cultural, social and economical factors.
The perceived value of a coral reef is likely to be seen differently by
many countries and communities. An isolated community living in
harmony with a coral reef system is dependent upon it for most of its
material requirements, and the coral reef is central to the social,
economical and cultural life of the people. Traditional culture often
contains many practices for the conservation of reef resources. Traditional
knowledge of the reef environment contains a detailed understanding of
the biology and ecology of all reef species. About 70 per cent of the
world's coral reefs have been wrecked or are at risk from human activities
particularly in developing countries. To save Coral Reefs, all nations and
their respective governments must reduce carbondioxide emissions
quickly but also create marine protected areas. About 75 per cent of coral
reefs are in developing countries where human populations are rising
rapidly and where there is a total lack of marine ecological awareness and
millions of people depend on these reefs for food. All coral reef s are a
gift from nature and it is the duty of all nations to conserve and preserve
this environment.
Worldwide Impacts on Coral Reefs - some current facts • 35 per cent of mangroves and 27 per cent of coral reefs have been
lost in the past thirty years.
• Three to six times the amount of water is stored behind dams than
in natural river channels.
• More agricultural land has been used for crops since 1945 than in
the 18th and 19th centuries combined.
• Since 1961 the world population has doubled.
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• 60 per cent of ecosystem services (natural products and processes
that support life) are being degraded or used unsustainably.
Environmental impacts on the Great Barrier Reef
Since the European settlement of Australia, the annual flow from
the land of sediments and nutrients into the Great Barrier Reef has
increased fourfold:
• Since 1998, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered its two worst ever
recorded coral bleaching events, caused by unusually hot salt water.
• Reef line fishing has doubted since 1995.
• Recreational fishing efforts continue to increase as the population
increases and fishing and boating technology improves.
• Over the last 40 years; numbers of nesting loggerhead turtles have
declined by between 50% and 80%.
• Estimates of Dugong population adjacent to the urban coast of
Queensland indicate that they currently number only 3 % of what
they were in the early 1960's.
• 28 million tonnes of sediment flows onto the reef each year as a
result of land clearing, soil erosion by farming activities, cattle
grazing and urbanization.
• 60%-80% of fresh water coastal wetlands have been lost due to
cane growing, banana growing and other coastal developments.
Who manages the Great Barrier Reef?
The GBR is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority, Parks and Wildlife (Queensland Government Environment
Protection Agency), and the State and Federal Governments. In 2005,
there were approximately 820 operators and 1,500 vessels and aircraft
which were permitted to operate under the GBRMPA. Tourism attracts
approximately 1.8 million visitors each year. The majority of the people
contributing to forming the marine tourism industry, use 95% of an area
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offshore from Cairns and the Whitsunday Group, which form just 5% of
the whole Marine Park. The Cairns marine tourism industry centres
around day visits to pontoon sites, and extended diving and fishing
charters to offshore reef destinations, based at operator-owned moorings.
Whitsunday marine operations focus on visits to island bays and resorts,
and to the two pontoons at Hardy Reef.
Legal guidelines in environmental practice for saving the GBR as
recommended by the GBRMPA in 2005 are as follows
To better understand and protect the GBR the following legal
guidelines should be followed. Best environmental practices are
guidelines developed jointly with the marine tourism industry designed to
reduce human impacts on reefs and islands by promoting environmentally
responsible behaviour in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, State
Marine Parks and Island National Parks. These practices are designed to
complement legal requirements but have no legislative power. They are
applicable to all users of the reef. The GBRMPA encourages the tourism
industry and recreational users to adopt best environmental practices in all
activities which they undertake in the Marine park to help protect the
Great Barrier Reef.
Activities of Tourists must fulfill legal requirements to maximize
the best environmental practices in the following activities:
1. Anchoring
2. Bird Watching
3. Boating
4. Camping
5. Collecting
6. Diving and Snorkelling
7. Dugong Watching
8. Island Visits
9. Fishing
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10. Moorings
11. Motorised Water Sports
12. Reef Walking
13. Spear Fishing
14. Turtle Watching
15. Waste Disposal
16. Whale and Dolphin Watching
17. Yachting
Anchoring
Boats anchored away from the reef in the Marine park need a little
care when anchoring and this planning will help save them from
accidentally damaging fragile coral with their anchoring gear. Remember
that throughout the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, water depth drops off
steeply to an average of 30 metres around many reefs.
Legal Requirements
• When anchoring, you must take reasonable care not to damage
coral in the Cairns, Hinchinbrook and Whitsunday Planning Areas.
• You are required to comply with all designated “No Anchoring
Areas”.
• In general, you must not anchor within 50 metres of moorings
and 200 metres of pontoons within the Cairns Planning Area.
• In the Cairns Planning Area, vessels between 35 metres and 70
metres in length must not anchor at a location unless at a
designated reef anchorage or cruise ship anchorage. Vessels
greater than 70 metres can anchor only at a cruise ship
anchorage or outside a location.
• In the Whitsunday planning area, vessels between 35 metres
and 70 metres in length can anchor only 1500 metres away
from reefs or the coastline unless at a Setting 1 area or a
designated cruise ship anchorage. Vessels greater than 70
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metres can anchor only at a cruise ship anchorage or 1500
metres away from reefs or the coastline.
Best Environmental Practices
• Carry enough chain and line for the depth in which you want to
anchor.
• Check out the area before anchoring.
• Use the appropriate type of anchor for the substrate in which
you are anchoring.
• Anchor in sand or mud away from corals.
• Motor in the direction of the anchor when hauling it in.
Bird Watching
The Great Barrier Reef is home to thousands of seabirds, with
many islands being critical breeding and nesting sites. Disturbing birds
and their nests can result in a high mortality rate of both chicks and eggs.
If you enjoy bird watching, be aware of protected areas and seasonal
closures and take special care to ensure that the birds remain undisturbed.
If you hold a Marine Park’s permit, check for specific exclusion areas.
You must not access any of these during the times stated.
Legal Requirements
• You must abide by access and speed restrictions at sensitive
locations in the Cairns planning area, Hinchinbrook Planning Area
and at significant bird sites at the Whitsunday planning area.
Best Environmental Practices
• Wherever possible keep well away from colonies of roosting or
nesting seabirds.
• If you cannot avoid going near a colony, always keep a low
profile. This will minimize the risk of disturbing birds. Stressed
birds may move from their nests and take flight, leaving their
chicks and nests unprotected.
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• When approaching birds, be quiet, avoid rapid or sudden
movements, crouch low and use existing cover where possible.
• Keep noise to a minimum. Do not sound horns, sirens or
loudspeakers.
• If seabirds exhibit stressful behaviour overhead, such as raucous
calling or swooping, leave the area immediately.
• Be careful not to crush eggs and chicks – some are well
camouflaged.
• Never attempt to touch birds, chicks or eggs.
• Avoid using lights near or in bird colonies.
Take particular care on seabird islands at the following sensitive
times
• Late afternoon and early evening.
• During the hottest part of the day.
• Wet and/ or cold weather.
• Moonlit nights.
• When eggs are naked or downy
• Chicks are in the their nests.
• Learn about the habits and needs of seabirds to increase your
appreciation of them.
Boats anchored in the Marine Park
Always be careful when boating in the Marine Park and be aware
of the natural world around you. Vessel groundings can damage large
areas of coral as well as severely damaging a propeller or hull. Vessel
collisions with large marine creatures such as whales, dugongs and turtles
can kill the animal as well as severely damaging a propeller or hull.
Legal requirements
• You must abide by the vessel length and group size settings in the
Cairns planning area, the Hinchibrook planning area and the
Whitsunday planning area.
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• You must not operate a vessel longer than 20 metres in Missionary
Bay which is part of the Hinchinbrook planning area, unless using
the transit lanes.
Best Environmental Practices
• Stay alert for Dugong in shallow inshore areas especially over
seagrass beds. Refer to “Dugong Watching”.
• Be extremely careful in the Whitsundays from June to October to
avoid disturbing Humpback Whale mother/ calf pairs. Refer to
“Whale Watching”.
• Stay alert for sea turtles especially during September and October
when mating behaviour brings them closer to the surface. Refer to
“Turtle Watching”.
• Go slow near any islands and cays where seabirds are nesting or
roosting. Be aware of any boating restrictions. Refer to “Bird
Watching”.
• Use care when approaching shorelines, beaches and reef edges.
Proceed slowly and choose carefully where you are to come ashore
or leave your vessel/tender.
• Take care when transferring fuel to minimize the risk of fuel and
oil spillages. Where possible, refuel onshore or in port instead of at
sea.
Camping
There are over 40 island National Parks throughout the Great
Barrier Reef where camping is permitted. Camping experiences differ
greatly from island to island. Some camping areas are heavily used,
especially during school holidays. For more information on island
camping, booking and permit arrangements, contact the Queensland Parks
and Wildlife Service.
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Collecting
Shell collecting, and the means of the taking of the aquarium fish,
most shellfish and other animals and plants, whether dead or alive, must
be conducted in accordance with the Zoning Plan and Regulations.
Collecting is not allowed in some zones, but in most of the Marine Park
you may generally collect up to 5 shells, fish or invertebrates of any one
species in a 28 day period. To collect greater numbers or to collect coral
requires a specific Marine Parks permit, as does any form of commercial
collecting. Additional permits for collection may also be required from
the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Best Environmental Practices
• Take only what you need and abide by official limits.
• Return all unwanted specimens to the water carefully and quickly,
preferably to the exact location where you found them.
• Treat all specimens humanely and carefully. Handling some
specimens may be dangerous.
A number of shell species (e.g. the giant triton) are totally
protected under Commonwealth and Queensland Legislation and may not
be collected.
Diving and Snorkelling
A diver taking a photograph of a sea fan (fan-shaped coral) on a
coral reef must take precautions not to damage the coral. Scuba diving
and snorkelling are the most popular ways to experience the unique and
beautiful underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. Whilst deliberate
damage to the reef is rare, accidental damage can occur. There are several
ways that snorkellers and divers can avoid accidental damage.
Legal Requirements
• All divers and snorkellers should be aware that it is a legal offence
in the Marine Park to damage or remove coral.
• You must not damage coral in the Cairns and Whitsunday planning areas.
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Best Environmental Practices are as follows
• Check that you are weighted correctly before diving and practise
buoyancy control away from coral and reef animals.
• If you are a beginner, practise snorkelling techniques away from
coral, and dive over sand until you have mastered buoyancy control.
• Secure the dragging diving equipment such as secondary
regulators and gauges.
• Do not rest or stand on coral.
• Avoid hovering over or leaning on corals when taking underwater
photographs.
• If you need to rest while snorkelling, try to use rest stations where
provided.
• Avoid touching anything with your fins and try not to stir up
sediment or disturb coral.
• Observe animals rather than handle them. Handling some animals
may be dangerous.
• Do not chase or attempt to ride or grab free-swimming animals.
Avoid blocking their path.
• Do not touch, poke or prod any plants or animals,
• If you pick up anything underwater, living or dead, return it to the
exact position where you found it.
• Learn about the underwater environment so that you can better
appreciate it.
Dugong Watching
Dugong calves ride upon their mother’s backs. The Great Barrier
Reef Marine park is crucial for the survival of the Dugong. About 14,000
individuals live in the Great Barrier Reef which is one of the largest
regional populations in the world. There are 16 Dugong Protection Areas
along the Queensland coast in places where large populations of Dugongs
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are known to live. In the Hichinbrook Dugong Protection Areas, there are
voluntary speed limits over shallow seagrass beds and transit lanes.
Usually Dugongs do not spend much time near the surface of the water
and so are not easy to see. However, speeding boats can injure or kill
them, displace them from preferred feeding areas or disrupt social bonds
such as between mothers and calves. The following table shows the
different areas for Dugong protection. Dugong Protection Areas ‘A’ are
high priority habitats with significant provisions or prohibitions on
various commercial netting activities. Dugong Protection Areas ‘B’ have
lesser restriction on commercial netting activities.
Dugong protection Areas ‘A’ Dugong protection Areas ‘B’
Hichinbrook Taylors Beach
Cleveland Bay Bowling Green Bay
Upstart Bay Edgecumbe Bay
Newry Region Repulse Bay
Ince Bay Sand Bay
Shoalwater Bay Llewellyn Bay
Port Clinton Clairview Bay
Hervey Bay Great Rodds Bay
Sandy Strait
Legal Requirements
• You must not chase, harass, take, catch or kill Dugongs in the
Cairns, Hichinbrook and Whitsunday planning areas.
Best Environmental Practices
• In shallow seagrass areas keep a lookout for Dugong and go
slow e.g. less than 10 knots.
• Do not approach a Dugong closer than 50 metres.
• If you happen to be within 50 metres of a Dugong, avoid where
possible engaging the propeller and move off slowly at less
than planning speed.
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• Do not swim, dive or enter the water near a Dugong.
• Do not feed, touch or interfere with a Dugong, for instance by
loud noise or sudden movements.
• Avoid separating a female Dugong from her calf.
• In the Hinchinbrook Planning Area, use the transit lanes and
follow the recommended maximum vessel speeds.
• 0 - 25 knots within transit lanes.
• 0-10 knots over seagrass beds outside transit lanes.
• Immediately report any injured or dead Dugong to the Marine
Animal Hotline.
Island Visits
Heron island
Islands in the Great Barrier Reef, especially the island National
Parks, are popular destinations. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service manage Island National Parks.
You can help make sure that the natural environment that attracted
you in the first place remains as it was before you arrived.
Legal Requirements
• Permits are required to camp on island National Parks. Permits are
also required to conduct commercial activities on islands. These
permits can be obtained from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service.
• Island Management Plans outline regulations and restrictions on
specific islands within the Marine Park. These can be obtained
from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• You must not bring pets (domestic animals) or introduce any
plants or animals to islands and cays.
• You must not feed native animals that are dangerous or capable of
injuring a person, or where prohibited by notice.
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• You must not take, use or interfere with cultural or natural
resources within an island National Park unless exempted by a
licence or permit.
• You must not light a campfire on island National Parks and cays.
• You must not possess any weapon including firearms on island
National Parks.
• Generators and compressors are not allowed on island National
Parks without written permission from the Queensland Parks and
Wildlife Service.
• Amplified sound is not permitted on island National Parks.
Best Environmental Practices
• Before visiting islands, check for special requirements with the
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• Do not leave any rubbish on islands. Take all litter or rubbish back
to your vessel or the mainland.
• Ensure that your noise does not disturb the wildlife and people
visiting the islands.
Take care when washing and cleaning
1. Do not use detergents, toothpaste or soap in creeks, streams
or closed waterways.
2. Wash at least 50 metres away from watercourses and use
only biodegradable products.
3. Use sand and a scourer to remove waste when cleaning dishes.
• Use gas or liquid spirit stoves for cooking.
• Always use toilets where provided. Where there are no toilets,
use a spot at least 100 metres from campsites and water courses
and bury all faecal waste at least 15 centimetres deep.
• Remove seeds of introduced plants from all clothing or shoes
before going ashore.
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• Do not trample or disturb vegetation or break branches from
trees and shrubs.
• Remain on tracks and defined access points to beaches to avoid
damage to dune vegetation.
• Do not disturb nesting seabirds or turtles. Avoid making loud
noises, using strong lights or making sudden movements near
their nests.
• Do not feed native animals.
• Do not disturb cultural sites e.g. middens dunghills or refuse heaps.
• Do not write or place graffiti anywhere.
• Carry a marine band radio receiver. Most sites are out of range
for mobile phones.
Fishing
Fishing in a boat in the Marine Park
Fishing is one of the most popular Great Barrier Reef activities.
Make sure you know what is permitted by checking the Zoning Plan and
fisheries information. Fisheries information is available from the
Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority works in
collaboration with Queensland Fishery Management Agencies and other
stakeholders to ensure that fish stocks are adequately protected and that
the fisheries in the Marine Park are ecologically sustainable. Contact the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for further information on
Fishery Policy and Programmes.
Legal Requirements
• You must abide by the Zoning Plan (e.g. do not fish in the green
zone, restrictions apply in the yellow zone).
• You must not fish as part of a tourist programme in the
Langford/Black Islands Area of the Whitsunday Planning Area.
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• You must abide by requirements to obtain State fishing permits,
and for possession and size limits, protected species, tackle
restrictions, and seasonal and area closures.
Best Environmental Practices
• Take only what you need and within official limits.
• Return all undersized or unwanted fish to the water carefully and
quickly.
• If you intend keeping a fish, remove it from the hook or net
quickly and kill it humanely.
• Avoid fishing, anchoring and diving where fish feeding takes place.
• Do not throw away any fishing line as it can kill marine animals.
• Avoid fishing in areas where fish are gathering to spawn
(spawning aggregation sites).
• Report tagged fish to the SUNTAG phone: 1800 077 001
• Report 'fish kills' (mass deaths of fish) to the Marine Animal
Hotline phone: 1300 130 372.
• Please take note of the circumstances and collect specimens if
possible.
• Report any suspected illegal fishing incidents to Fishwatch
phone: 1800 017 116
Moorings
Public mooring Due to the increase in visitors at many popular reefs and bays,
moorings have been installed to prevent further anchor damage.
There are two types of moorings in the Marine Park:
• Privately owned moorings; and
• public moorings.
Privately owned moorings are installed and used by commercial
operators and/or operator associations. Contact the mooring owners for
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more details regarding the use of these moorings. Public moorings are
available to all reef users. They are blue in colour with a Marine Parks
label explaining the class (vessel length), time limits and maximum wind
strength limits that apply.
Legal Requirements
• You must not remove, misuse or damage a public mooring.
• In general, you must not anchor within 50 metres of moorings or
200 metres of pontoons in the Cairns Planning Area.
Best Environmental Practices
• Where possible always try to use moorings instead of anchoring.
• When picking up a mooring:
1. Motor into the wind toward the buoy
2. Take care to avoid running over the pick up line when appro-
aching the mooring
3. Use a boat hook to retrieve the pick-up line
4. Attach the pick-up eye to a cleat or strong point on the vessel.
• On public moorings, read and follow the advice given on an
information disc attached to the mooring pick-up line.
• Always contact the owner of a private mooring for their per-
mission to use the mooring.
Motorised Water Sports
Parasailing in the Marine Park
Activities such as jet-skiing, water-skiing and para-sailing are
classified as motorised water sports, along with any other activities that
involve a high-speed vessel, or a motorised vessel if towing a person on
the water or in the air or any activity involving irregular driving of a
motorised vessel. Using any of these vessels to simply transit through the
Marine Park is not classed as undertaking a motorised watersport. Some
specific managerial provisions have been developed, as motorised water
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sports often create a lot of noise and have been shown to disturb birds and
other reef users at nesting time at roosting sites.
Legal Requirements
• Motorised water sports are not permitted in the Remote Natural
Area.
• Cairns Planning Area-motorised water sports can be conducted
only outside Locations (i.e. generally 500 metres away from reefs).
• Hinchinbrook Planning Area - motorised water sports can be
undertaken only in Intensive Use Locations and outside
Locations. Speed and access restrictions around significant bird
sites are specified as generally 200m from the island.
• Whitsunday Planning Area - motorised water sports can be
undertaken only in Setting 1 areas and outside settings areas
(1500 metres away from reefs or the coastline). Speed and access
restrictions apply around significant bird nesting sites.
Best Environmental Practices
• Vessel collisions with large marine creatures such as whales,
dugongs and turtles can damage the animals and your craft.
Reduce your speed to minimise the risk of collision in areas
where large marine animals have been sighted.
• Respect other people using the Marine Park and minimise any
disturbance to other people's activities.
Reef Walking
Tourists reef walking
Reef walking is an alternative way of exploring the inter-tidal area
and reef flat. However, you are asked to take great care as reef walking
can cause severe damage to reef flats and lagoons.
Legal Requirements
• You must abide by limits for collecting, stated in the Zoning Plan.
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• You require a Marine Parks permit to conduct reef walking as
part of a tourist programme.
Best Environmental Practices • Be careful not to step on coral or living matter.
• Follow marked trails and avoid straying.
• If there is no marked trail, locate regularly used routes or follow
sand channels.
• Use a pole or a stick for balance, take care not to poke animals.
• Learn about the reef environment and what to look for before reef
walking.
• If you pick up anything, living or dead, always return it to the
exact position where you found it.
• Do not pick up animals or plants that are attached to the reef flats
Refer to 'Collecting' for further legal requirements and best
environmental practices.
Spearfishing A snorkeller spearfishing in the Marine Park
Limited spearfishing (not using a powerhead, firearm, light or
underwater breathing apparatus) is allowed in the General Use Zone,
Habitat Protection Zone and Conservation Park Zone.
Legal Requirements You must not spearfish
• For sale or trade;
• With underwater breathing apparatus (other than a snorkel); or
• With a power-head;
• Firearm or light;
• In Public Appreciation Special Management Areas of the
Conservation Park Zone unless you have a permit.
Turtle Watching A green turtle
The Great Barrier Reef is a critical breeding and foraging ground
for six species of marine turtles. They come ashore at night to build their
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nests and lay eggs. It is essential to take care while watching the female
turtles lay eggs and later watching the hatchlings emerge from the sand
making their way to the ocean. Disturbing the turtles during nesting and
hatching can interrupt these processes.
Legal Requirements
• You must not kill turtles or take their eggs unless you have a
traditional hunting or research permit.
• You must not chase, harass, take, catch or kill loggerhead turtles
in the Whitsunday Planning Area.
• You must not take or interfere with a marine turtle in the
Hinchinbrook Planning Area.
For more information contact the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority.
Best Environmental Practices
• Keep the use of lighting (e.g. torches) to a minimum. Hint: put a
red cloth or cellophane over the torch.
• Lights should be no more than a three-volt, two-cell, hand-held torch.
• Do not approach too closely to turtles leaving the water and
moving up the beach.
• Do not shine lights directly on turtles leaving the water, moving
up the beach, building nests, or laying eggs.
• Avoid loud noises and sudden movements near turtles while they
are laying their eggs.
• Do not touch the turtles, hatchlings or eggs.
• Keep dogs away.
• Do not light campfires on turtle nesting beaches.
• Report sick, injured, stranded or dead turtles to the Marine Animal Hotline, phone 1300 130 37.
• Learn about the habits and needs of turtles to increase your appreciation of them.
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Waste Disposal (garbage, oil products & sewage)
Rubbish on the beach
How you dispose of your waste directly affects the health of
the reef. Increasing amounts of nutrients and marine pollution are
major threats to the Great Barrier Reef.
Legal Requirements
• You must not discharge GARBAGE (including plastics, fishing
nets and lines) within the Marine Park.
• You must not discharge OIL PRODUCTS within the Marine Park.
• You must not bury or leave noxious, harmful or offensive
substances in State Marine Parks or on Island National Parks.
• You must not discharge FRESH FISH PARTS, unless the fish
were caught in the Marine Park.
• If necessary, you can discharge SEWAGE within the Marine
Park. For vessels with holding tanks, this discharge must take
place more than 1 nautical mile seawards from the edge of the
nearest reef and island.
Best Environmental Practices:
• Use pump-ashore facilities for sewage disposal from holding tanks
whenever possible.
• Where there are no pump-ashore facilities, discharge sewage into
open water, at least 500 metres away from reefs.
• If there be no holding tank, visitors should not use toilets or urinate
in the water when near reefs or in enclosed bays.
• Take care when transferring fuel to minimise the risk of fuel and oil
spillages. Where possible, refuel onshore or in port instead of at sea.
• Use biodegradable toilet paper and phosphate - free cleaning
products and make sure they don't end up in the water.
• Petroleum products in the bilge should be broken down with bio-
degradable detergents and disposed of at recycling depots on shore.
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• All litter should be brought back to the mainland and disposed of
at a suitable waste disposal site.
• For guidelines on ballast water management contact the Australian
Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).
Whale & Dolphin Watching
Humpback whale breaching
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is an important
breeding and feeding ground for marine mammals such as whales and
dolphins. Commercial operators wishing to offer dolphin or whale
watching or swimming with whales as activities, require a special Marine
Park’s permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority:
Legal Requirements
• Whales and dolphins are protected.
• You must not kill, take, injure and/ or interfere with whales and
dolphins. Interference includes harassing, chasing and herding.
• When whale watching -
- A vessel must not approach closer than 100 metres of a
whale or 50 metres of a dolphin (or 300 metres of a whale in
the Whale Protection Area in the Whitsunday Planning Area).
- If a vessel is closer than 300 metres of a whale or dolphin
the vessel must be operated at a constant slow speed with a
negligible wake.
- If there are two vessels within 300 metres of a whale or
dolphin, all additional vessels must remain outside a 300
metre radius from the whale or dolphin.
- You must not use a personal motorised watercraft (inclu-
ding jet skis) closer than 300 metres of a whale or dolphin.
- You must not enter the water closer than 30 metres to a
whale or dolphin.
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- You must not purposely touch or feed or attempt to touch or
feed a whale or dolphin.
- A fixed wing aircraft must not approach below 1,000 feet or
within 300 metres of a whale or dolphin.
- A helicopter must not approach below 1,000 feet or within
1000 metres of a whale or dolphin.
- In the Whitsunday Planning Area a helicopter must not
approach below 2,000 feet or within 1,000 metres of a whale.
Best Environmental Practices
• Be alert and watch for whales and dolphins at all times.
• Keep a lookout and avoid disturbance to mother whales and their
calves especially from June to October.
• Reduce your vessel speed to minimise the risk of collision in areas
where whales and dolphins have been sighted.
• Be quiet when you are around a whale or dolphin.
• If there be a sudden change in whale or dolphin behaviour, move
away immediately.
• Do not chase whales or dolphins or block their passage.
• Report sick, injured, stranded or dead whales or dolphins to the
Marine Animal Hotline Phone: 1300 130 37 (24 hr).
Yachting
Yacht cruising in the Marine Park
Yachties voyaging north or south through the Marine Park should
note that major commercial vessels such as bulk carriers and container
ships will be encountered. Fishing trawlers will also be present in some
areas, particularly at night. Yachts are at an undoubted risk of collision.
The risk will be markedly reduced if yachts avoid the charted shipping
routes and anchor at night when the risk of collision is greatest. Under
international law a powered vessel is required to give way to a vessel
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under sail except when constrained by draught or engaged in fishing (with
its nets down). A degree of commonsense needs to be applied here as a
large vessel is severely limited in the avoiding action which it can take in
the confines of the Great Barrier Reef.
Best Environmental Practices
• Use care when approaching shoreline, beaches and reef edges.
Proceed slowly and choose carefully where to come ashore or
leave your vessel/ tender.
• You must abide by the vessel length and group size settings in the
Cairns Planning Area, the Hinchibrook Area and the Whitsunday
Planning Area.
Who Manages the Great Barrier Reef?
Responsibility for establishing, planning and running the marine
park rests with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a Common-
wealth Government Agency. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
(a State Government Agency) is responsible for the day to day
management of the marine park - the field operations - or 'wet end' of
marine park management. This involves public contact, environmental
impact assessment, monitoring (e.g. effects of visitor activities),
surveillance (by aircraft and patrol vessels), enforcement and education.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is also responsible for
managing island national parks and state marine parks. The main tool
used in managing the Great Barrier Reef is zoning. Each marine park
zone has specific managerial objectives, which determine the human
activities that may or may not take place in that zone and you must have a
permit for certain activities. However, most zones allow a wide range of
uses such as fishing and boating (over 95 % of the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park is zoned for general use). Only in a few zones are certain
activities prohibited.
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However, protection of the Reef is everyone's responsibility. When
you visit Australia's Great Barrier Reef, you can help keep the Marine
Park manager's job easy by keeping the Great Barrier Reef a great place
to visit by listening to and learning from your guide. Generally it all
comes back to good common sense, as after all we want our children and
their children to enjoy it for generations to come.
Policies related to the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Policies
The obligations of the Commonwealth and Queensland
Governments in the protection and management of the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park are outlined in the Emerald Agreement of 1979. This
agreement states that the day to day management of the Marine Park
should be undertaken by officers of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service, subject to Authority policy with professional rangers and
conservation staff working with industries and coastal communities.
Protection of the values of the Reef against illegal activities is also
achieved through strategic alliances with the Queensland Boating and
Fisheries Patrol (QBFP), Queensland Water Police, Coast watch and the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
The Authority Aims
• To protect the natural qualities of the Great Barrier Reef, while
providing for reasonable use of the Reef Region.
• To involve the community meaningfully in the care and develop-
ment of the Marine Park.
• To achieve competence and fairness in the care and development
of the Marine Park through the conduct of research, and the
deliberate acquisition, use and dissemination of relevant infor-
mation from research and other sources.
• To provide for economical development consistent with meeting
the goal and other aims of the Authority.
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• To achieve integrated management of the Great Barrier Reef
through active leadership and through constantly seeking improve-
ments in coordinated management.
• To achieve management of the Marine Park primarily through the
community's commitment to the protection of the Great Barrier
Reef and its understanding and acceptance of the provisions of
zoning, regulations and managerial practices.
• To provide recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island tradi-
tional affiliations and rights in management of the Marine Park.
• To minimise costs of caring for and developing the Marine Park
consistent with meeting the goal and other aims of the Authority.
• To minimise regulation of, and interference in, human activities,
consistent with meeting the goal and other aims of the Authority.
• To achieve its goal and other aims by employing people of high
calibre, assisting them to reach their full potential, providing a
rewarding, useful and caring work environment and encouraging
them to pursue relevant training and developmental opportunities.
• To make the authority's expertise available nationally and
internationally.
• To adapt actively the Marine Park and the operations of the
Authority to changing circumstances.
There are approximately 100 QPWS Marine Parks Officers
employed under the Day-to-Day Management Programme working out of
14 centres between Cooktown and Gladstone. The QPWS Marine Parks
Officers Manage the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage
Area through:
• Resource Protection programmes;
• Visitor education and services;
• Park monitoring;
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• Surveillance and its enforcement;
• Identifying critical sites which will need to be specially managed;
• Assessing threats to values of the World Heritage Area;
• Assessing the effectiveness of current and proposed management
of sites to provide guidance for future management;
• Monitor experiences and attitudes of visitors to assist future
communication strategies; and
• Monitor experiences and attitudes of visitors to assist future
communication strategies
Australian Institute of Marine Studies Policies
Community outcomes
• Improving the knowledge and understanding of the Great Barrier
Reef World Heritage Area, in particular, the fate and effects of
sediment, nutrient and contaminant inputs, to better inform land
users and reef managers.
• Improving Reef Water Quality protection plan through timely and
robust information on the status and trends of water quality and
inshore reef health.
Research goals
• Assess land-based threats and impacts of nutrient and sediment
supply to inshore waters of the Cairns and Far Northern Sections
of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area using benthic and
pelagic flux estimates.
• Predict the impact of mud and nutrients on the GBR coral bio-
diversity and health, through a synthesis of an ecohydrological
model and data collected by the AIMS
Long-term Monitoring programme
• Formulate sediment nutrient budgets and dynamics for the central
GBR shelf and coral reef lagoons.
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• Provide long-term chlorophyll monitoring and the development of
satellite ocean colour imagery to estimate chlorophyll, turbidity
and water-quality status and trends.
• Assess impacts of terrestrial run-off on inshore reefs through the
development of ecological and physiological indicators of stress in
corals, fish and selected invertebrates.
Selected Invertebrates
• Develop new tools for monitoring the water quality and the health
of the ecosystems.
• Improve the management and restoration of coral reef habitats
through the use of ecohydrological models based on field data and
backed by powerful visualization tools.
Native Title Policies
Aboriginal people and Torres Strait people have a long continuing
relationship with the Great Barrier Reef region and its natural resources.
There are both similarities and differences between the ways in which
each Traditional Owner group uses the sea in their customary practices.
Native Title is the recognition in Australian law that Indigenous
people had a system of law and ownership of their lands before European
settlement. Where that traditional connection to land and waters has been
maintained and where government actions have not removed it, the law
recognises this as native title. The Native Title Act was introduced in
1993 and provides a way for dealing with Indigenous people’s Native
Title rights and interests to their land and sea areas. There are more than
70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owner clan groups
along the Queensland coast from the eastern Torres Strait Islands to just
north of Bundaberg that express Native Title rights and interests in the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
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Policies for the reef’s future
In August 2002, the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments
adopted a Memorandum of Understanding on developing practical actions
to improve water quality and reduce impacts on the Great Barrier Reef
Marine park, recognizing the need for a cooperative and precautionary
approach to protect the GBR, involving all levels of government and
stakeholders. In May 2003, the Queensland and Commonwealth
Governments released for public consultation a draft Reef Water Quality
Plan for catchments adjacent to the GBRWHA. The goal of this plan was
to halt and reverse the decline in water quality entering the reef within 10
years by:
• Reducing diffuse sources of pollutants in water entering the GBR,
and Rehabilitating and conserving areas of the Reef catchment
that have a role in removing water born pollutants (e.g. wetlands).
Ideal approaches on how to save the Great Barrier Reef
1. By Printing information materials: Provide and distribute
general information and educational materials. These would be
seen as brochures, maps and pamphlets discussing the need for
a management and the process of planning for it.
2. Write Letters: Letters describing the planning programme
inviting involvement should be sent to all the identities
possibly being involved with reef resource use and its
managerial implementation plan. Different letters may have an
economical approach and personal letter forms would be most
effective. Inquiries should receive individual replies.
3. Advertise: Depending on public attitudes and the availability of
funding, various forms of the media can be employed to
advertise the need for involvement of reef users. Newspaper
advertisements, T.V., videotapes, magazines, posters and other
means should all be considered. The advertising and the
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printing of information should emphasize the rights of children
and their descendants in maintaining the marine resources in
order to convince people of the need to promote long - range
planning. Also specific controversial aspects and impacts can
be pointed out, to arouse and maintain interest.
4. Make Personal Contacts: Personal contacts can include
appointments with individuals as well as conducting small
informal meetings and discussions. This involvement method
can reach many of the reef users, who would otherwise be cut
off, if input were limited to written comments and corres-
pondence. The planners would have to adjust their times and
places of contact to see the reef users. It is often practical to
make such contacts at the time of field surveys when the reef
resources and their uses are being discussed.
5. Combine with other plans: As much co-operation and
combination as possible should be done with other manage-
ment plan efforts, such as fishery plans, land use plans,
economical development plans, water quality, and the
production of comprehensive government plans. Planning
expertise can be efficiently shared in this way and duplication
of effort can be avoided.
6. Arrange meetings and workshops with special interest groups:
Special meetings and workshops can be directed towards parti-
cular categories of marine resource users. For example: Local
organizations of boat owners, SCUBA divers, Science
Teachers, Researchers and similar groups can each receive
special attention. Besides getting individuals to contribute ideas
and opinions on management, they can also be taught new uses
and values of resources and how to improve on their ways of
using marine resources. Such meetings may also provide
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planners with data on the extent of reef resources and resource
use. Efforts should be made to contact every individual in a
target group and at least provision should be made for all to
have the opportunity to attend meetings.
7. Arrange public hearings: Any comprehensive discussion on a
reef management plan usually needs several public hearings at
different phases of its progress. These should be open to all and
well advertised in advance.
8. Organize an International Conference, meeting and training
programme on coral reef saving: Government or local bodies
have to call meetings or organize International Conferences
from time to time in order to invite scientists from different
fields and gather information from them and then put all of this
information into a book form. At this platform, healthy
discussion should also take place.
9. Involve schools and University students: Students from both
school and university level can play an important role if they
have knowledge about "How to protect the Great Barrier Reef".
With this knowledge they can go out and discuss with many
other people the problems facing the Great Barrier Reef.
10. Prize Distribution : This is a very productive step by which
many local, national and international people can get involved
and the best group or individual who has done excellent work
in a specified field, can be awarded.
Some of the things being suggested to help care for the GBR
Several things can be done in order to help in protecting coral reefs
and the coastal watershed:
a. Be informed and involved. Learn about coral reefs and their
importance to your coastal watershed. Participate in training or
educational programmes that focus on reef ecology. Be an
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informed consumer; ask the store owner or manager from what
country the coral was taken and whether that country has a
managerial plan to ensure that the harvest was legal and
sustainable over time. Support the creation and maintenance of
marine parks and reserves. Become a citizen volunteer. As a
volunteer you might be involved in taking water quality
measurements, tracking the progress of protection and
restoration projects, or reporting special events like fish kills
and storm damage. Volunteer for a reef cleanup or a beach
cleanup. If you don’t live near a coast, get involved in your
local watershed program. Report dumping or other illegal
activities that maybe with fish.
b. Take responsibility for your own backyard. Determine whether
additional nutrients or pesticides are needed before you apply
them, and look for alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides
where the chance of runoff into surface waters might occur.
Even if you live far from a coral reef ecosystem, these products
might ultimately affect the waters that support coral. Consider
selecting plants and grasses with low maintenance require-
ments. Water your lawn conservatively; the less water you use,
the less runoff will eventually find its way into the oceans.
c. Practise housekeeping. Learn about procedures for disposing of
harmful household wastes so that they do not end up in sewage
treatment plants that cannot treat them or in landfills not
designed to receive hazardous materials. Around the house,
keep litter, pet waste, leaves, and grass clippings out of street
gutters and storm drains to prevent their entrance into streams
that might flow to reefs. Use the minimum amount of water
needed when you wash your car to prevent waste and runoff.
Never dump any household, automotive or gardening wastes
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into a storm drain. They might end up on the reef. Take used
motor oil, paints, and other hazardous household materials to
proper collection sites such as approved service stations or
designated landfills. Always follow label directions for the use
and disposal of household chemicals. Keep your septic tank in
good working order. The improper disposal of waste and
hazardous materials can lead to water quality problems and do
harm to the sensitive coral reef habitats.
d. Respect the reef. Help keep the reef healthy by following local
guidelines, recommendations, regulations and customs. If you
dive, do not touch the coral. Keep your fins, gear, and hands
away from the coral since this contact can hurt you and will
damage the delicate coral animals. Stay off the bottom of the
reef because stirred up sediment can settle on corals and
smother them. Avoid entering sensitive habitat areas with your
boat or other motorized watercraft. Maintain your boat engine
to prevent oil and gas leaks. Keep all waste produced during
your excursions in a safe place to be disposed of properly when
you are back on land. If you go boating near a coral reef, do not
anchor your boat on the reef. Use mooring buoy systems if they
be available. Maintain and use your marine sanitation devices
properly. Conserve energy and keep your auto in good running
condition. By conserving energy, harmful air emissions leading
to air deposition are minimized.
e. Proper care of waste disposal. Educate the public that all food
leftovers, plastic bags, litter and cigarette butts should be
removed from cays, snorkelling areas and disposed of correctly
on the mainland.
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What ideal approach should be used to protect the GBR?
As one of Australia's most cherished natural assets, the Great
Barrier Reef has borne testament over time to the tourists that people
often hurt what they love the most. Over fishing, excessive tourism,
negligent farming practices, careless shipping practices as well as the
Crown of Thorns Starfish and climatic change, have all contributed to the
increasing fragility of this World Heritage listed environment.
The major aspect of the natural environment that can be managed
is the impact of human activity. By intention or ignorance, human action
can rapidly destroy or degrade the natural environment. With care in
place, human action can maintain the natural environment, and sustain the
long-term economical, cultural and scientific needs of human society.
Reef management, through measures such as the establishment of Marine
Parks, National Parks, Biosphere Research, multiple use management
areas, fishing controls (such as catch quotas, size limits, closed seasons)
and other regulations, can help halt further destruction provided that
management can make possible the recovery of degraded reefs and can
help or aid in the long term maintenance of these reefs. Then and only
then will sustainable use of managerial resources be an outstanding
investment in preserving our Heritage Listed icon - the Great Barrier Reef.
The description below shows some pollutants which may affect
coral reefs:
1. Herbicides
� may interfere with basic food chain processes by destroying or
damaging zoosxanthellae in coral, free - living phytoplankton,
algal or seagrass plant communities.
� can have serious effects even at very low concentrations.
2. Pesticides
� may selectively destroy or damage elements of zooplankton or reef
communities. Planktonic larvae are particularly vulnerable.
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� may through accumulation in animal tissues have effects on
physiological processes.
3. Antifouling paints and agents
� may selectively destroy or damage elements of zooplankton or reef
communities.
� not likely to be a major factor except near major harbours, shipping
lanes and industrial plants cooled by sea water.
4. Sediments and turbidity
� smother substrate
� smother and exceed the clearing capacity of some filter feeding
animals.
� reduce light penetration, may alter plant and animal vertical
distribution on reefs; even slight changes in level may influence
this distribution.
� may absorb and transport other pollutants.
5. Sewage/ detergents
� may interfere with physiological processes.
6. Sewage/ nutrients and fertilisers
� may stimulate phytoplankton and other plant productivity beyond
the capacity of reef animal grazing and thus modify and overload
the reef ecosystem.
7. Petroleum hydrocarbons
� have been demonstrated to have a wide range of damaging effects
at different concentrations.
8. Heated water from power stations and industrial cooling plants.
� will locally change ecological conditions, and water temperature is
a key factor in the distribution and physiological performance of
most reef organisms.
9. Hypersaline waste water from desalination plants
� will locally change ecological conditions. Salinity is a key factor in
the distribution and physiological performance of many reef organisms.
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10. Heavy metals e.g. mercury/ cadmium etc.
� may be accumulated by and have severe physiological effects upon
filter feeding animals, reef fish, and by accumulation up the food
chain in higher predators.
Australian citizens and tourists should be made aware of practices
that help minimize their impact on the GBR. To protect the Great Barrier
Reef, efforts should be made on our part to help protect the GBR by
implementing practices on the land, and in Australia, both in the
workplace or a school, such efforts in education will help minimize the
impact on water quality. These ideas should help protect the water quality
and the general ecology of the reef.
These efforts can help improve the quality of water in the Great
Barrier Reef and other important marine environments by:
1. Making laws and implementing them to prevent foreign matter
from entering gutters, drains, creeks and rivers. The drains and
gutters need to be kept free from chemical and rubbish and
households and factories need to be inspected from time to time.
2. Making the public fully aware of the importance of recycling all
litter in the respective waste bins for paper, plastic, glass, cans, and
general waste. Car washing to be done only where there is no
possibility for the detergent water to enter drains, where such run-
off could enter the GBR’s water.
3. Vegetation strips around a home can minimize rainwater run-off.
This applies particularly to the planting and conservation of the
mangrove trees.
4. It is most important that the natural wetlands along the coast of the
GBR are left in their natural state as their function is to protect and
filter the sediment in the water run-off.
5. Hold open discussions with other people including school children
in order to gain first hand experience about the effects of the
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declining water quality and other declining factors of the GBR
such as the bleached condition of the coral, the over breaking of
the coral, and the general lack of a variety of fish species.
6. Water recycling systems should be implemented both for
factories and in the home.
7. Community groups, involving people of all ages should be formed
and meet regularly to discuss such topics as Water Quality, Coast
care, and the actual condition of the reef when snorkelling.
8. Children must be taught that they must not urinate on a coral reef
as the coral is a living organism.
9. More rangers need to take an active role in supervising the general
public when they are snorkelling and informing them that they
must not touch, break or kick the coral.
10. Very large signs in picture form should be erected at all places
where people snorkel, indicating that the breaking and stealing of
coral is forbidden and carries with it a heavy fine.
11. During a boat trip to a coral reef, pamphlets should be handed out
in foreign languages so that no further damage will occur.
12. After life-jacket drill, the captain should announce that it is
forbidden to touch, break or steal the coral. This could be easily
repeated on a tape speaking different languages.
13. Smoking should be totally banned on all islands and reefs as
people throw their butts away and this presents a real danger for
fish, the ecology and the whole marine environment.
14. Crewmembers on all ferry trips should be fully trained. They
should set an example to the public.
15. In the Australian Education System, it should be compulsory for
all school children to visit at least once the GBR on a school
excursion. Where a physical visit is not possible, a large
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assignment should be given at some stage to teach them about the
only coral mass in the world that is visible from outer space.
16. Members of the staff of the GBRMPA should visit schools from
time to time both at a local and national level and give lectures,
show posters, and colored slides in such a way that the student’s
interest and awareness will be awakened and sustained.
17. A local community approach should be implemented whereby the
government will involve farmers, business people, doctors,
engineers, laymen and all general members of the public. This will
give them the initiative to create more environmental awareness
among the community.
18. As well as giving the people information about the coral reefs, the
GBR aquarium in Townsville should also be showing ways and
means of saving the Great Barrier Reef. This would be an ideal
opportunity to teach the young people about the need to save the
Great Barrier Reef, as many are accompanied by their parents and
grandparents.
In local council newsletters, constant information should be given
to the public, continually updating news of the GBR. Such information
should also be provided to all caravan parks, motels and hotels where the
greatest number of people can be reached. Small pamphlets should be
handed out to customers at shopping centres, markets and petrol pumps.
Maps, pamphlets and brochures need to be printed in several
languages so that people from different nationalities can add ideas to
ways of managing the GBR. These brochures and ideas should be printed
for the travel agents at the point of embarkation.
Writing an overview of planning. Letters involving the govt. and
other managerial agencies should receive letters combining the ideas of
fishery plans, water quality, land use by farmers, economical
development, field surveys of the condition of the reef regarding
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resources available and in this way, a complete overview is maintained
for the benefit of everybody.
Planning programmes can then be sent to all managerial personnel
accordingly.
The education of children in the importance of maintaining the
reef’s resources cannot be over emphasized. Their descendants will need
to maintain the reef and its resources.
Advertising. Holding competitions about the reef could be done in
different forms. There could be painting, essay and debating competitions
on “How to save the GBR”. Through newspaper advertisements,
magazines, posters and T.V., the media could play an enormous role in
promoting enthusiasm among the general public.
Practical discussions could be held on the ferries with questions
being asked from the captain and crew members as the tourists return to
port. How could visits to a coral reef be improved?
Organize an international conference, workshop and training
programme on the necessity of using practical skills in saving the GBR.
Local people, students from both school and university could form
groups to visit the coral reefs and send their reports as an assessment of
what they think of the GBR. These reports should be sent to the
GBRMPA.
The major techniques by which environmental education can be
effective in saving the GBR are:
The subject of environmental education has become very
important at both school and university level. Local people have benefited
through this education and according to many people surveyed, reports
show that environmental education has become popular both in develop-
ing and developed nations. Through Environmental Education, it creates a
great possibility to create awareness among local, national and inter-
national people about the threats to the Great Barrier Reef and how we
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can save it. The Australian Government should introduce as a compulsory
subject at school level in all states, information which deals with the
Great Barrier Reef and its problems. Although at this level some teachers
do give a small project to the students on the Great Barrier Reef and try to
create an awareness among them, it is not as yet compulsory.
Environmental Education could play an important role in protecting the
Great Barrier Reef and other environmental problem areas. To save the
Great Barrier Reef, there are lots of techniques by which environmental
education can be effective:
1. By T.V.
2. Video Recordings,
3. Radio,
4. Papers and magazines,
5. Films,
6. Stamps,
7. Books, pamphlets and leaflets,
8. Posters,
9. T - Shirts,
10. Badges,
11. Stickers,
12. Local Drama and story telling,
13. Demonstrations,
14. Visits by community leaders, sportsmen, film heroes etc.
15. Open meetings,
16. Meetings, seminars, workshops, conferences etc.
It is now necessary to consider what techniques will be used to get
messages across. Each one on the list below has a relevance to a parti-
cular type of situation. The list is quite extensive and indicates the con-
siderations required:
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Television T.V. is a very powerful tool for creating awareness on any subject.
As far as the GBR is concerned, its use can be specifically targeted at the
real issues of the reef degeneration, water quality, touristic activities,
permanent damage and the means whereby these problems can be faced,
discussed and resolved by a panel of experts.
Video Recordings
Video recordings are very valuable in creating and maintaining
awareness of all aspects of the GBR, as they can be viewed many times
over and this leaves a greater impression on people’s minds.
Papers & Magazines
These mediums give publishers an opportunity to invite papers
from experts from all over the world in their respective fields, to educate
and bring up-to-date the latest scientific knowledge on all aspects of the
problems facing the GBR.
Radio
The use of radio in Australia and all over the world is an instant
means of informing people on many subjects. A regular programme on
the GBR is really necessary as it would reach thousands of people at the
one time. There are so many expert people working in marine biology,
marine bio-diversity, aquariums, research scholars etc. that there would
be literally no end of subject matter to sustain the public’s interest.
Documentary Films
Professional filmmakers can play an important role when scientific
experts need to have a specific subject targeted in order to inform the
public and bring greater awareness of any pressing issues facing the GBR.
Stamps
Postage stamps cover a wide range of subjects and are sent all over
the world. Australia produces beautiful postage stamps and marine life
from the GBR is sometimes depicted. It would be good for Australia if
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the GBR was to be featured on a regular basis in a marine biology series
for daily postage stamps, international postage stamps and philatelic
collector’s folders. The money received could be used for scientific
research.
T-Shirts
T-shirts are worn with great pride by tourist of all ages. Their
messages can be very strong and because they come from so many
different corners of the earth, their messages are always stimulating. The
GBR is so colourful and unusual that it automatically lends itself to the
creation of beautiful T-Shirts.
Badges
People the world over love to collect things and badges are very
popular. They are cheap, colourful, small and weigh little, which makes
them ideal to post and give to friends.
Stickers
These can be a collector’s item too and people love to have them
on their cars and caravans as a reminder of happy holidays. Once
displayed, these stickers can be read and admired by other motorists and
passing pedestrians. Colourful stickers can encourage people to visit the
GBR.
Local Drama and Story-Telling
Messages in locally acceptable forms are one of the best ways of
getting ideas across to an audience. People like to be entertained and if
they can be made aware of issues and motivated at the same time, all the
better.
Demonstrations
These can take many forms from a small scale managerial theory
demonstration to coloured slides or other presentations. Such demons-
trations are work intensive, as most educational methods are. They can be
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used with a specific targetted group and add a rapport between
educational staff and the community.
Visits by Community Leaders
This is perhaps an expensive and drastic step but one which can
have benefit in the case of problems which are beyond the knowledge of
the people with whom you are dealing. Information, until recently in
most societies, was transmitted solely by word of mouth. This method of
information dissemination still has a place and a member of a target
group will be able to convey a message in the terms which the group can
readily understand.
Open Meetings
Usually held to discuss specific issues such as planning ideas,
zoning meetings, reporting back to members of the society concerning
developments in their managerial agency plans and progress reports. Such
meetings may be organised by the planning, management, or educational
group of the agency but the educational groups should, and probably will
be sought out, to be involved in this work.
Meetings, Seminars, Workshops, Conferences etc.
These gatherings are usually made up of scientific staff and they
may have to be organised by the educational staff or other members of a
managerial agency, together with other related organizations either
nationally or internationally connected. They have a great educational
role, not so much with the general public but with an important target
group. Good education begins at home. All members of a managerial
agency are educated staff and must be made aware of their role in
creating a favourable atmosphere in which managerial work can thrive.
Educational staff have a great advantage in that it is part of their
job, not just to talk but to listen and listen carefully and critically. Often
people can tell you more from what they do not say as from what they
say. Thus every educational group member should improve his/her
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listening skills. This can have a practical application in the collection of
traditional stories and environmental practices which will probably be of
interest in their own right and help the people towards a better
understanding. Educational staff have a role in the feed -back process to
give to the other sections of the managerial agency. This most important
function should be built into the working of the group from the start and
be a most important function of the educational group.
Conclusion
Although the Govt. of Australia has done lots of productive work
to protect the GBR there still is a need for more work to be done in this
field. The GBR is a natural gift for the Australian people and the world at
large and it is our duty to save it for future generations. The question of
sustainability of the coral reef is very challenging for us and there is not a
single factor by which we can afford to overlook our enormous
responsibility in preventing further ecological and environmental damage
to the Great Barrier Reef. This ocean ecosystem city needs to be
preserved in order to maintain its true function as a silent, beautiful
barrier to the east coast of Australia.