Top 10 actions to protect the Great Barrier Reef

Ramping up compliance and better protecting resilient feeder reefs are among the top 10 actions that will be used to manage the Great Barrier Reef under a new Reef Blueprint.

Developed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) in late 2017, the Blueprint responds to unprecedented pressures faced on the Reef over the last two years.

GBRMPA Chairman Dr Russell Reichelt said climate-change-driven impacts on the Great Barrier Reef are unprecedented in our lifetime and represents a genuine crisis for The Reef.

This comes after his statement on October 2016 that hit out at claims in the media that the Great Barrier Reef is dead. This was just after our bountiful IFISH Apprentice trip to The Reef with Nomad Charters around about the time of a major coral-bleaching event.

“The Blueprint signals a new direction for managing this great natural icon and outlines 10 key initiatives for Reef management, focused on actions that deliver maximum benefits for Reef resilience," Dr Reichelt said.

“It clearly highlights key environmental actions, helping give focus to government, industries and communities who wish to be involved in Reef protection."

10 INITIATIVES TO SAVE THE REEF
The Blueprint’s 10 key initiatives range from supporting resilient reefs and on-ground work to empowering people and fostering change:

1. Identifying and protecting a resilience network
2. Dramatically enhancing compliance
3. Ramping up crown-of-thorns starfish control
4. Protecting key species for reef recovery
5. Active, localised restoration
6. Accelerating actions to address climate change
7. Fostering partnerships for actions and innovation
8. Adapting policy and legislation
9. Developing decision-support systems
10. Building awareness and support

The Blueprint aims to identify and protect a resilience network of individual reefs in the Marine Park that play a vital role in regenerating other reefs damaged after major disturbances.

Generally, these are reefs that are less exposed to high-water temperature and cyclones because of their location or depth and have high coral cover.

These reefs are well connected to other downstream reefs by ocean currents — coral larvae (baby corals) from these reefs travel on the ocean currents and settle on other downstream reefs.

“These reefs will be protected though enhanced compliance with zoning, crown-of-thorns starfish control, stewardship approaches to protecting key species such as herbivores and corals, and, in the future, implementing restoration actions,” Dr Reichelt said.

“These protections will ensure those reefs are better able to deal with pressures and, through their role supporting other reefs downstream, will help other reefs recover from impacts.”

CROWN OF THORNS
Crown-of-thorns starfish control will also be ramped up with more boats and trained culling teams.

There is a high ongoing risk to corals from the coral-eating starfish and control efforts are underway.

A third crown-of-thorns control vessel will soon be added to the control program and the Australian Government has committed to continue funding the control program until June 2020.

ANGLER EDUCATION
The Marine Park Authority will educate and work with those out on the water, such as fishers, about the importance of species, such as plant-eating fish that aid recovery by controlling seaweed after bleaching.

In-water trials are underway to test and develop methods to restore reefs of critical importance.

This includes collecting and rearing baby corals and releasing them on to natural reefs, as part of a trial to accelerate the regeneration of coral areas.

Read more about the Blueprint from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority