Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• The Great Barrier Reef is maintaining strong mangrove biodiversity with local fluctuations, mainly along the developed coast.
• Much of the Great Barrier Reef coastline is low lying, therefore small changes in sea level will mean land inundation, causing significant changes in tidal habitats such as mangroves and saltwater intrusion into low lying freshwater habitats.
• 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.
  
• 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.
• 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:

• 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 GBR 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
• Environmental impact assessment
  
• 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
• Improving water quality
• Coastal ecosystem protection
• Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Regional water quality improvement plans
• 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

• 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