The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 assesses the current state of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem’s environmental, social and economic values, examines the pressures on the Reef, the effectiveness of current responses and finally considers the likely outlook for the Great Barrier Reef.

Full Report:

Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 - Full Report  [PDF 18.3MB]

Individual Chapters as follows:

 Introductory pages  [PDF 276KB] Letter of transmittal, acknowledgements and publication details [reprinted with corrections Nov 2009]

 Executive Summary  [PDF 35KB] Overview of the key findings of the Report

 Table of Contents  [PDF 63KB] Detailed list of the contents of the Report, including lists of figures and tables

 About this Report  [PDF 819KB] Explanation about the Report, its scope, structure and assessment approach, the evidence used and the process of development

 Chapter 1. The Great Barrier Reef  [PDF 525KB] Overview of the Great Barrier Reef, its values and management

 Chapter 2. Biodiversity  [PDF 3.5MB] Assessment of the current biodiversity within the Great Barrier Reef Region, examining both habitats to support species and populations of species and groups of species

 Chapter 3. Ecosystem Health  [PDF 2.7MB] Assessment of the current health of the ecosystem within the Great Barrier Reef Region, examining physical, chemical and ecological processes as well as outbreaks of diseases, introduced species and pest species

 Chapter 4. Commercial and Non-Commercial Use  [PDF 4.2MB] Assessment of commercial and non-commercial use of the Great Barrier Reef Region (commercial marine tourism, defence activities, fishing, ports and shipping, recreation, scientific research and traditional use of marine resources),   examining the benefits and impacts of each use.

 Chapter 5. Factors Influencing the Reef's Values  [PDF 3.1MB] Assessment of the factors influencing the current and projected future environmental, economic and social values of the Great Barrier Reef Region, examining climate change, coastal development, catchment runoff and direct use

 Chapter 6. Existing Protection and Management  [PDF 2.3MB] Assessment of the existing measures to protect and manage the ecosystem within the Great Barrier Reef Region, examining all activities that contribute to protection and management, both inside and outside the Great Barrier Reef  Region [reprinted with corrections (page 141) Nov 2009]

 Chapter 7. Ecosystem Resilience  [PDF 588KB] Assessment of the current resilience of the ecosystem within the Great Barrier Reef Region, supplemented by a series of case studies examining recovery after disturbance

 Chapter 8. Risks to the Reef  [PDF 665KB] Assessment of the risks to the ecosystem within the Great Barrier Reef Region, examining the likelihood and consequence of identified threats to establish the highest risks

 Chapter 9. Long-Term Outlook  [PDF 163KB] Assessment of the long-term outlook for the ecosystem within the Great Barrier Reef Region, including the likely trends in key factors and the current initiatives to improve resilience

 Appendices and Index  [PDF 114KB] Outline of the statutory requirements for the Outlook Report, the process of developing the Report, the identified threats to the ecosystem and the criteria for ranking likelihood and consequence, plus the Index to the full Report.

Related information

• Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 – In Brief  [PDF 5MB]
• 'Outlook Online' presents the evidence used to develop the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009
• Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report