Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Summit Today
The Reef Water Quality Summit will be held today to address urgent concerns about the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
The summit was prompted by a 2007 report entitled 2007 Water Quality Report for the Great Barrier Reef, which was released earlier this month.
The report found that the water quality issue is worse than previously thought.
Agforce president, John Cotter says that farmers have been working with conservationists and the Federal Government to reduce farm run-off to the reef.
“The last thing that will get the best outcome for the reef is to have a series of blunt instruments or regulatory tools imposed on both not only the agricultural industry but the development industry,” he continued.
In response to the report, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said “We have had a lot of effort put in over the last five years, but recent scientific reports indicate that that effort has not been enough and it has not been happening fast enough”.
“So I want to hear from all those groups who are using the reef and who are concerned about it, ideas to accelerate the work that we are doing to improve water quality” she continued.
The summit, which will include Queensland and federal governments, conservation groups, farming groups, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, will take place in Parliament House in Brisbane today (24th October, Australian time).
Tags: australia, great barrier reef, water quality
