11 December 2008

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the best managed and healthiest coral reefs in the world according to a recent report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Chairman Dr Russell Reichelt said the report was a strong reminder that while all coral reefs are under threat, the Great Barrier Reef is faring better than most.

“The Great Barrier Reef is the largest, healthiest and one of the best managed of the world’s coral reefs.

“Because of strong community support, protective legislation and an ecosystem based approach to management Australia’s coral reefs have come out on the top of this year’s status report.

“While this report is essentially good news for the Great Barrier Reef compared to other reefs around the world, we can’t afford to be complacent and there is still much work to be done here to protect our Reef.”

The report entitled ‘Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2008’ found that although 19 per cent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost in the past few decades, Australian reefs have continued to be relatively stable since 2004.

Report author, Clive Wilkinson, said Australia’s coral reef management, research and monitoring was exemplary.

“Management of coral reefs in Eastern Australia on the Great Barrier Reef and more recently off Western Australia, continues to set the benchmark for best practice around the world.

“One of the stand-out features is that coral reef scientists and managers have formed strong partnerships to understand and manage our coral reefs”

The report also found that

• the oceanic and island reefs of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea are amongst the best understood and managed in the world with considerable capacity and expertise in research and management particularly along the Great Barrier Reef
• the 2004 rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef has shown significant ecosystem benefits
• the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef remain in relatively good condition and the Reef may be in a recovery phase from previous disturbances indicating good resilience
• on-going pressures include coastal development, declining water quality, fishing, recreational use, outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and other species
• recent pressures include coral disease, declining resilience of some reefs (particularly inshore reefs), declines in high level predators, and climate change effects

The report listed climate change as the key threat to all of the world’s coral reefs with cyclones and poor inshore water quality remaining as major threats to the Great Barrier Reef.