Australia’s Barrier Reef ‘risks becoming dumping ground’: WWF

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could be “severely damaged” if the government does not completely ban the dumping of dredge waste in the World Heritage-listed waters, a report commissioned by conservation group WWF said Monday. The report said port expansions within reef waters, which it noted could see some 51 million cubic metres of the ocean floor dug up, would have “devastating impacts” on the natural wonder. The report said there is no need for coal port expansions along Queensland state’s coast - where the reef is located - as the capacity at existing terminals is unused one-third of the time. UNESCO has threatened to put the reef on its World Heritage in danger list, but is delaying action to allow Australia to submit a report on how it will protect the bio-diverse site. Environment Minister Greg Hunt said his government’s report to UNESCO “clearly demonstrates that the Great Barrier Reef does not warrant being listed as in danger”.

We know the reef is facing challenges but we are making significant progress. There is strong evidence that our efforts are working.

Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt

The Australian government in January ordered a ban on dumping dredge spoil in the marine park as part of a push to stop the United Nations declaring the site in danger. But the ban does not include most islands and ports as well as lakes and other waterways that fall outside the marine park but inside the slightly larger World Heritage Area. Conservationists say dumping waste in reef waters damages it by smothering corals and sea grasses and exposing them to poisons and high levels of nutrients. The coal port expansions could increase the total coal port capacity of the region from 267 to 637 million tonnes per year, according to the report. This would make the total capacity of the Great Barrier Reef’s coal ports just less than the overall capacity of the current largest port in the world: Shanghai, China.

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