Local resident Sue Sargent was elected chair of the Burnett Local Marine Advisory Committee for the next three year term at the new committee's first meeting recently.

It is one of 12 committees along the coast from Cape York to Bundaberg that provide input to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) on local marine issues.
 
GBRMPA Chairman Russell Reichelt said committee members would play an essential role in the future management of the Great Barrier Reef.

"We will be looking to these committees for advice on how we achieve a balance between sustainable use and protecting the Reef for the future," he said.

"They will contribute to the strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area that will identify the Reef's values, the threats, and what we need to do to address them."

Ms Sargent brings local environmental and resource experience from her current role as the Conservation Partnerships Manager with the Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Ltd.

Ms Sargent welcomes the opportunity to help the Burnett region have its ideas and concerns raised on Reef issues.

"Bundaberg is the most southerly access to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is critical to this region from economic, social and cultural perspectives. It is the reason many of us live in this beautiful part of the world," she said. 

"I'm confident we'll be able to represent the views of the Burnett and Bundaberg community."

The Burnett LMAC area covers Rocky Point in the north to Burrum Point in the south.  It includes the coastal communities of 1770, Agnes Water, Baffle Creek, Moore Park and Elliot Heads.

The new committee includes experienced members who have returned for another three-year term, and seven new members who bring fresh perspectives to the table.

Established in 1999, the committees meet five times a year and undertake regional environmental projects.

Committees operate in the Cape York, Douglas, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook, Townsville, Bowen-Burdekin, Whitsundays, Mackay, Capricorn Coast, Gladstone and Burnett regions.

Earlier this year, there was a call for residents along the coast to nominate for the committees.

Find out more about the Burnett Local Marine Advisory Committee.