The Great Barrier Reef is one of the best managed Reefs in the world, with some challenges.
For 30 years, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has implemented a range of management initiatives to help keep the Great Barrier Reef healthy.
The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009 is a stock-take of the Great Barrier Reef, its management and its future.
The aim of the Outlook Report is to provide information about:
- The condition of the ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef Region (including the ecosystem outside the Region where it affects the Region)
- Social and economic factors influencing the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem
- Management effectiveness of the Great Barrier Reef, and...
- Risk-based assessment of the long-term outlook for the Region.
The key threats to the Great Barrier Reef identified by the Outlook Report are:
- Climate change
- Declining water quality from catchment run-off
- Loss of coastal habitats from coastal developments
- Small number of impacts from fishing and illegal fishing and poaching.
The health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef is protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Australia has commenced work on a strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to establish a long-term plan for sustainable development within the region.
If a development's footprint is wholly within or partly within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (GBRMP Act) also applies.
