Management Concern: Moderate    

Adequacy of Information: Low

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Most species and habitats remain adequately connected; connectivity between marine habitats and adjacent freshwater habitats has been reduced.
  
• Every part of the ecosystem is connected in many ways to other parts. It follows that any form of degradation in one area may ultimately affect many others.  
• Increasing coastal development is resulting in the loss of both coastal habitats that support the Great Barrier Reef and connectivity between habitats.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Larval retention and connectivity among populations of corals and reef fishes: history advances and challenges
  
• Ecological connectivity in the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Connectivity, biodiversity conservation, and the design of marine reserve networks for coral reefs
  
• Incorporating connectivity science into coral reef management
  
• Migration of Humpback whales along the Australian east coast
  
• Seabird population connectivities
  
• Booby population connectivites within and outside the GBR
  
• Seabirds as indicators of open ocean ecology
  
• Black marlin movements on Great Barrier Reef
  
• Movement heterogeneity of dugongs over large spatial scales
  
• Migration of green and loggerhead turtles to and from eastern Australian rookeries
  
• Long-distance migrations by hawksbill turtles from north-eastern Australia
• Coral trout movements
• Dugong movement in the Townsville-Cardwell region
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
• Clearing of wetlands
• Queensland's coast: managing its future: a position paper on coastal management in Queensland
• Loss of coastal wetlands 

Existing policies and management actions

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Protection of Migratory Species
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Plans of Management
• State Coastal Management Plan 2002 
• Coastal Ecosystem Management Position Paper
  
• GBRMPA involvement in coastal development planning and assessment
• Coastal ecosystem protection
• Environmental Impact Management Policy [900KB]
  
• Reef Guardian Councils
  
• Sewage Discharges From Marine Outfalls To The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [107KB]
  
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  
• State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971
  
• Department of Infrastructure and Planning 
  

Future management requirements

• Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan
  
• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring