Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• The overall area of mangrove forest adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef appears to be generally stable except where there is significant coastal development.
• Mangrove communities are dynamic and have been known to die-back at times (e.g. Pioneer River, Shoalwater Bay). The Pioneer River dieback is likely to have been caused by herbicide run-off.
  
• Mangrove forests are vulnerable to sea level rise, changes to rainfall patterns and flood events, and increasing sea temperature.
• The impacts of dredging and construction of port facilities - such as seabed disturbance, transport or resuspension of contaminants, alteration of sediment movement and changes in coastal processes - can be significant, but are localised.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Vulnerability of mangroves and tidal wetlands of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Diversity and distribution of mangroves in the Great Barrier Reef  [822Kb]
  
• Mangroves enhance the biomass of coral reef fish communities in the Caribbean
  
• Changes to mangroves and salt marshes in several estuaries
• Mangrove distribution and diversity
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
• Population and urban growth in the Great Barrier Reef catchment
• Population centres in Queensland and Great Barrier Reef catchment 
• Population projections 
  
• Shipping voyages in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• Shipping incidents in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Major shipping incidents in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Great Barrier Reef oil spill risk and equipment 
• The 2006 Gladstone oil spill: environmental impacts 
• Dredging at the Port of Hay Point

Existing policies and management actions

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Plans of Management
• State Coastal Management Plan 2002 
• Coastal Ecosystem Management Position Paper
  
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• Permits
• Memorandum of Understanding between GBRMPA and Queensland Ports [1.34MB]
  
• Cruise Shipping Policy for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [113KB]
  
• Dredging and Spoil Disposal Policy [525KB]
  
• Environmental Impact Management Policy [900KB]
• Improving water quality
• Coastal ecosystem protection

Future management requirements

• Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan
  
• Biodiversity strategy
• Planned review of the Dredging and Spoil Disposal Policy

Defined research questions

• What natural and human influences affect the distribution and abundance of mangroves and wetlands?
• What are resilience thresholds for mangrove habitats?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring