Natural Environment Blog

A couple of days ago I wrote about the new report for the Great Barrier Reef. In that article, I spoke about the Queensland and Australian governments agreeing to update their plan for protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

Well, the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) have now accused the state government of overreaction. 

The QFF are concerned that the government will try to regulate the farming industry to protect the reef. QFF spokesman, John Cherry, believes that this isn’t necessary (yet). Mr Cherry says:

Efforts are being made by a whole range of bodies up the coast and well-funded by the Federal Government are underway. None of that is occurring from the State Government and I think the State Government is a group here who hasn’t done anything else but talk about it.

Ms Bligh has indicated that the current arrangement - voluntary land management improvements - are not working. She says that there may need to be regulation of farm and mine run-off. Ms Bligh says:

Not enough is happening and not quickly enough … we are already seeing irreparable damage to our reef, so the time to act is now.

It’s nice to think that some farmers and mining companies are making voluntary changes in order to protect the reef. I’d be interested to know how many farmers and mining companies are actually voluntarily improving their land management practices - just for the reef? 

Farmers are in business. So are the mining companies. Not many are going to change their practices unless it’s financially viable to do so. If it makes sense financially, then I’m sure we’ll see some results. 

When it boils down to it, the government has three choices:

1. Raise the financial incentive for improving land management practices
2. Regulate farm and mine run-off
3. Come up with something better…

This year is the International Year of the Reef.

The International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR 2008) is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability, and to motivate people to take action to protect them. All individuals, corporations, schools, governments, and organizations are welcome and actively encouraged to participate in IYOR 2008.

The International Year of the Reef was first declared in 1997. IYOR 1997 was a global effort to raise awareness and understanding of our coral reefs and the increasing threats they are facing.

In 1997, IYOR had over 225 organizations in 50 countries participating. There were over 700 articles published in newspapers and magazines. Hundreds of surveys were undertaken.

IYOR 2008 aims to:

• Strengthen awareness about the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems
• Improve understanding of the critical threats to coral reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats
• Generate urgent action at all levels to develop and implement effective management strategies for conservation and sustainable use of these ecosystems.

For more information on IYOR, check out the official IYOR website.

The Reef Check Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of two ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. According to its website, Reef Check aims to:

• Educate the public and governments about the value of coral reefs and rocky reef ecosystems and the crisis facing them
• Create a global network of volunteer teams, trained and led by scientists, that regularly monitor and report on reef health using a standard method
• Facilitate collaborative use of reef health information by community groups, governments, universities and businesses to design and implement ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions
• Stimulate local action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide especially through the creation of Marine Protected Areas.

Reef Check includes 3 major programs:

1. EcoAction Program – an education and certification program for kids to adults who want to learn more about the ocean and take part in protecting reef ecosystems.
2. Coral Reef Management Program – a coral reef monitoring and management system that focuses on establishing Marine Protected Areas to conserve coral reefs while encouraging sustainable use of surrounding reefs by local residents.
3. Reef Check California – a volunteer monitoring program for California rocky reefs designed to provide data for managers and to build a conservation constituency among California divers.

Reef Check works with volunteers in more than 80 countries to help protect and rehabilitate the world’s coral reefs. Much of this work involves monitoring reefs and their marine life, as well as formulating ways to manage their protection and/or rehabilitation.

If you’ve ever been snorkelling or scuba diving, you’ll appreciate the beauty of coral reefs. You might also be aware of the fact that many of the world’s coral reefs are actually dying. In my article on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, I mentioned that factors such as global warming, overfishing, and land pollution are causing major issues for coral reefs. This is where Reef Check hopes to make a difference.

You may have read my article about the Great Barrier Reef, and how it is under threat by overfishing, land-based pollution, and global warming. Well, because of these threats, the Department of Natural Resources and Water has created the world’s longest water monitoring network.

The network consists of complex monitoring equipment at 30 collection stations, covering 1500km of coastline, to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The idea behind this is that scientists will be able to track sediment, nutrient and chemical levels in the waterways which send water out to the reef. It is thought that these sediments and pollutants are contributing to the demise of the reef.

Of particular interest is water flow caused by events such as flooding. Now that the gigantic water monitoring network is in place, scientists will be able to learn exactly how much of an impact these events are having on the reef.