As a multiple-use area, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park supports a range of activities and it is important to ensure they have minimal impact on the marine environment.

Activities are managed by evaluating the risks to the environment, principally, after an application for permission to undertake activities in the Marine Park has been submitted.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has a formal Environmental Impact Assessment process for evaluating the likely possible risks or effect on the environment of a proposed activity or development.

Common activities where a detailed process is undertaken include developments within the Marine Park such as pontoons, jetties, pipelines, dredging and marinas.

There are four main stages of environmental impact management: Scoping, assessment, implementation and audit.

This allows information to be compiled to evaluate whether an approval (permit) or refusal will be in the best interest of the community.

Assessment criteria include ecological, social, economic, Indigenous interests, as well as current and future use of the proposed location.

Applicants are invited to contact the GBRMPA at an early scoping stage to discuss their general proposal, its scale and proposed location.