Reef report a 'show cause notice' for govt

2 Jun 2012, 9:13 am   -   Source: AAP
Share This
0 
+ Comment
0
Great Barrier Reef. (Getty)

Great Barrier Reef. (Getty)

Environmentalists say a scathing report on the management of the Great Barrier Reef is a "show cause notice" for the federal government.

RELATED

Environmentalists say an international report on the state of the Great Barrier Reef should put the federal government on notice to lift its game.

UNESCO's report on the reef, released on Saturday morning (AEST), warns the reef could be listed as a World Heritage site in danger unless substantial changes are made to Australia's management of the area.

The report urges Australia not to permit the creation of new ports within the boundaries of the world heritage area and asks for a strategic assessment of the entire reef.

It says development should be reduced as much as possible to mitigate the impact of climate change on the reef.

GetUp environmental campaigner Paul Oosting says the report sends a very stark message to the federal government.

"It doesn't get much clearer than that," Mr Oosting says.

"UNESCO wants plans for any expansion scrapped immediately and nothing should happen in the future that could harm the reef."

WWF Australia spokesman Richard Leck says the warning from the intergovernmental body could hardly be more serious, and amounted to a "show cause notice" to the federal government.

"The government has been granted a stay of execution until February 2013, when they will need to provide a clear explanation about how they will better manage the Reef," Mr Leck told AAP.

"Business as usual is not an option."

The report points to a "range of unaddressed concerns" surrounding the approval and ongoing management of major liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants at Curtis Island, off the central Queensland coast.

Mr Leck welcomed the recommendation for an independent review of the management of Gladstone Harbour.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.