Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Good

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Coral reef habitats are likely to be declining, more so in inshore areas, but the trends are difficult to interpret.
• Available evidence indicates that the overall status of coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef is relatively good, but is likely to be declining slightly, especially in inshore areas.  However, the picture is not simple or clear cut, with reefs in different regions showing enormous differences in trends, including both increases and declines. This is because coral reefs are naturally dynamic habitats, with cycles of disturbance and recovery. The challenge is to detect whether there are long-term trends hidden within natural cycles.
• Marine tourism extends throughout the Great Barrier Reef but its impacts are concentrated in a few intensively managed areas.
• There is limited information about many  targeted species and of the survival success of discarded species resulting in a poor understanding of the broad scale and cumulative ecosystem effects of fishing.
• Illegal fishing is a threat to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. Incidents detected include incursion of foreign fishing vessels, fishing in zones closed to fishing, and use of fishing equipment or methods in zones where they are not permitted.
• Further information is needed on the resilience of coral reef habitats and cumulative impacts of climate change and commercial and non-commercial use.
• Most routine shipping activities have negligible consequences. Dredging and construction of port facilities can have significant, but localised impacts.
• Increased concentrations of suspended sediments and agricultural chemicals are having significant effects inshore close to agricultural areas. Much continues to be done to improve water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef but it will be decades before the benefits are seen.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Summary of the vulnerability of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Climate change: trends on the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Confronting the coral reef crisis
  
• Australian Institute of Marine Science - surveys of sessile benthic communities
  
• Coral cover estimates during broadscale surveys using manta tow
  
• Trend in Great Barrier Reef hard coral cover from the AIMS Long-Term Monitoring Program
  
• Reef Water Quality Protection Plan Inshore Reef Monitoring: hard coral, soft coral and algal cover
  
• Status of coral reefs of the world 2008
  
• Vulnerability of coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change 
  
• Map of predicted vulnerability of coral reefs to climate change
• Scientific consensus statement on water quality in the Great Barrier Reef 
• Marine tourism impacts on the Great Barrier Reef 
• Impacts of tourism and recreational use on the Great Barrier Reef
• Impacts of pontoons on the Great Barrier Reef
• Moorings 
• Effects on coral from SCUBA divers 
• Impacts of fish feeding at tourist pontoons
• Effectiveness of no anchoring areas
  
• Effects of line fishing on the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Fishing catch from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
  
• 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
  
• Inshore Reef Health
• Water quality effects on macroalgae
• Water quality effects on hard coral richness
• Water quality effects on richness of phototrophic octocorals
• Water quality effects on richness of hetertrophic octocorals
• Water quality in the Great Barrier Reef - guidelines and current status
  
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
• Ecosystem health - regional coral cover and recruitment 
• Competition between corals and algae on coral reefs
• Rapid smothering of coral reef organisms by muddy marine snow 
• Terrestrial run-off and its effects on reef ecology  

Existing policies and management actions

• Marine Park legislation and regulations
  
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 – Ecological assessments
  
• Accreditation (with conditions) of the export component of the commercial coral harvest fishery under national sustainability guidelines
  
• Queensland Policy for the Management of the Coral Fishery
  
• Guidelines for the Management of Artificial Reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• Regional Plans of Management, including Reef Protection Markers and moorings
  
• Permit conditions for specific activities
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland Fisheries policies and legislation
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring 
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries 
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• High standard tourism operations 
• Ecocertification of Marine Park operators
• Use of tourism permissions in the Marine Park
• 15-year permits 
• Visitation with the top 50 tourism operators versus total visitation
• Tourist visitation to directly managed sites
• Policies and guidelines for managing tourism and recreational use
• Site Management Arrangements   
• Responsible Reef Practices 
• Vessel sewage management 
  
• Tourism, recreation and community engagement
• Communicating with tourism and recreation stakeholders
• International recognition of tourism management achievements
• Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (2009) [1.70MB]
  
• Regional Water Quality Improvement Plans
  
• Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program
  
• Improving water quality
• Coastal ecosystem protection
• Environmental impact assessment
• 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]

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy
• Planned review of the Dredging and Spoil Disposal policy
• Overarching Great Barrier Reef Tourism Strategy
• Great Barrier Reef Recreation Strategy

Defined research questions

• What are the key indicators of coral reef resilience to climate change and how can these indicators be detected and measured?
  
• What will be the interaction dynamics between algae, coral polyps and herbivores under different climate scenarios?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring