| Hey NEVILLE,Last night our hopes for a safe and healthy Reef came a step closer to becoming a reality.
During a speech in Sydney at the World Parks Congress, Environment Minister Greg Hunt said that the government will legislate a ban on dumping.
A ban on dumping is a huge part of the solution to protect the Reef – and the spotlight you’ve helped put on this out-dated practice has got us to this point NEVILLE.
The devil is always in the detail though, and unfortunately the ban is limited to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park – and doesn’t cover the full World Heritage area.
Why does this matter? There’s a big difference between the two. Over 80% of recent Reef dumping has happened outside of the Marine Park, but within the World Heritage area. That’s because the Marine Park covers less of the Reef than the World Heritage Area does.
A ban in just the Marine Park would still allow millions of tonnes of spoil to be dumped where plumes can easily drift onto coral and seagrass.
With the 2015 World Heritage Committee meeting fast approaching, the government needs to do the right thing and protect the entire World Heritage Area – or it risks an ‘in-danger’ listing for the Reef.
The fight isn’t over and there will be a lot more we need to do together over the coming months.
But with every good announcement something exciting becomes clearer – we might just be the generation that rose to the challenge and saved the natural wonders of our Great Barrier Reef.
Have a great day NEVILLE,
Louise Matthiesson
Great Barrier Reef Campaigner
WWF-Australia |
