Shipping

In the waters of the Great barrier reef strict measure for commercial shipping is followed.
Certain measures for navigational safety and to reduce the ship from drowning or to avoid
collisions are being adhered to shipping within the region of the Great Barrier Reef which also
involves confined commercial shipping traffic on Designated Shipping Areas, compulsory
pilotage, and mandatory vessel reporting and monitoring. Ships release marine contaminants,
emissions of atmospheric particles, and other toxic emissions that is environmentally
hazardous. These are perceptible outcomes of several ship operations and others would
include incidents taking place from an accident such as oil spills, collisions, and groundings.
To be more precise, ship generated waste are mostly associated with maintaining and
operating the vessel such as lubricating oil, fuel, paint chips, and used engine components.
There is also domestic waste which is mostly due to passengers and crew such as food waste,
sewage, printed material, and there are also cargo-associated wastes which includes hold
sweepings, cargo residues, container, and oil tank residues, hold washings, packing materials,
pallets, drums. Energy emissions from ships have an impact on different spectra and has
potential for negative environmental outcomes. Movement of ship causes wake effect
(localised turbidity in shallow areas and erosion of banks) and it causes similar effect when
near land. Ships usually anchor in areas with sandy or muddy bottoms. However, if anchoring
is regulated in an unseemly manner, it could damage habitats such as eelgrass beds, coral
reefs, and sponge gardens. Shipping could also have several potential impacts which could be
hazardous for the environment:
o Accidents, incidents, and grounding (as mentioned above)
o Oil or chemical spills (as mentioned before)
o Waste discharges (as mentioned before)
o Atmospheric pollution (as mentioned before)
o Pollution from illegal dumping
o Introduction and translocation of invasive marine species
o Introduction of harmful substances
o Anchor damage to the benthos
o Vessel strike on threatened or migratory species
o Displacement of other users through the exclusive use of anchoring areas
o Social and economic impacts
o Loss of aesthetic values of the Great Barrier Reef
o Increase in CO2 emissions

Dredging:
The Great Barrier Reef MPA’s Dredging and Spoil Disposal Policy (2010) classifies the
governing rule or the supervising adaptations in place for the reduction of environmental
footprint associated with dredging and sea dumping in the Marine Park. Furthermore,
compliance with the Great Barrier Reef MPA’s Water Quality Guidelines for the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park (2010) should be taken into consideration for dredging and
disposing of activities inside the Marine Park.

Environmental impacts to the marine environment due to dredging could be hazardous and the
impacts include:
o Changes to hydrodynamics, including turbidity and resuspension which can
tremendously affect areas such as seagrasses and corals.
o Changes to coastal hydrology
o Transport or resuspension of contaminants
o Alteration of coastal processes
o Injury or mortality to marine wildlife including species that are ecologically
significant or are considered threatened, endangered.
o Translocation of pest species

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

The people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been with the Great Barrier Reef
for a very long period. These people lived on the seafloor before the sea level rise and the
formation of the reef which was over 7000 years ago. However, after the formation of the
Reef these people felt responsible for their Sea Country and formed their culture around
sustainable use of the sea resources. Nevertheless, as the Reef came across new pressures, loss
of land and Sea Country rights, dislocation, disease, dispersion, and disadvantage deranged
the magnitude of the people to enact and marching on their cultural responsibilities and safe
keeping or protecting their Sea Country.
Indigenous heritage includes natural values, indigenous values, historical values, and all that
is involved in Sea Country. The values define:
o Keeping the heritage strong, treating it with respect, acknowledging and protecting the
association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander with the Reef
o Safeguarding the heritage and protection of indigenous heritage values through
administrative proceedings.
o Maintaining the heritage and keeping it healthy. In other words, conducting
partnership with Traditional Owners and others in Reef Management.

Reef Restoration Foundation (NGO)

Reef Restoration Foundation is supported by James Cook University’s TropWATER

and Reef Ecologic with the support of funding from Australian’s Government’s
National Environmental Science Program. Their aim is to grow and plant corals which
 are naturally more adaptable for rejuvenating damaged reefs. They received their first
permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to set up a pilot nursery on
the Great Barrier Reef in 2017. They are looking for individuals and corporate coral
crusaders to unite with them and accomplish their goal of creating 1,000,000 new
corals on the Great Barrier Reef by 2026.

The Reef Restoration Foundation organized an ocean-based coral nursery to

rejuvenate coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef at Fitzroy Island near Cairns. The
initial coral cuttings that were taken in December 2017 for the Fitzroy nursery were
equipped for transplanting after 8 months. The first batch of coral surpassed projection
but expanded by 2.5 times in size. 9 out of 10 corals survived and grew into 246 new
coral colonies from the 24 pieces of coral which was at first harvested from the
fringing reef at Fitzroy. In July 2018, they placed 4 more coral trees which totalled 10,
and collected some more. There are now 650 corals growing in the Fitzroy nursery. In
August 2018, they affixed 100 of these new coral colonies on the impaired segment of
the coral reef at Fitzroy and retained the rest to grow more coral.

WWF (NGO)
The Great Barrier Reef is a prized World Heritage area and one of the biggest coral reef
systems and the largest living structure on the planet. It stretches out over 344,400 square
kilometres and is located off the Queensland coast. The Reef comprises of 3000 individual
reef systems, 760 fringe reefs, 600 tropical islands and 300 coral cays. This composite habitat
gives protection for a huge variety of marine life, plants, animals, starting from ancient sea
turtles, reef fish, 134 species of sharks and rays, to 400 different hard and soft corals,
kaleidoscopic corals, an abundance of seaweeds and an abundant life over 900 islands. Their
aim is to reduce the disdain of species and the health of reef ecosystems in the Great Barrier
Reef and at the same time lessening the impact of climate change.

On the 29th of June 1978, WWF was established in Australia with only 3 staff working in an
old factory in Sydney. The conservation fund for the first year was around $80,000 and now
they are the nation’s leading conservation organization with more than 500,000 supporters
and they are still projects to be completed throughout Australia and the Oceania region. In
1999, Australia had a significant role in establishing the world’s most radical biodiversity
conservation laws, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation. In 2003/2004
after immense pressure from the WWF the Australian government promised to raise
protection for the Great Barrier Reef from 4.6% to 33%. In 2015, WWF campaigned on
banning dumping in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, warding off up to 46 million
cubic metres of dredge spoiling being dumped in the Reef’s waters. In 2016, with the help of
financing from their supporters, they were able to buy and retire two shark fishing licences on
the Great Barrier Reef and they saved the lives of 20,000 sharks a year along with dugongs,
dolphins, and turtles. In 2017 they appealed and fought for new laws to be adhered in
Queensland parliament which would ban chopping off trees and rather ensure protection of
Koalas, and other native species, and the Great Barrier Reef. In 2018 these laws were passed.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation (NGO)

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is an individual organization monitored by the Australian
Charities and is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board encompasses councils of
Australian business, science, and philanthropy, aiming to bring all segments together for the
welfare of the Great Barrier Reef. The Board supervises the Managing Director’s role and
ensures that all endeavours are guided in the direction of safeguarding the resources that is
required to support research to protect and restore the Great Barrier Reef. The research results
should also be informed to the Reef managers. The procedure of funding for research projects
is supervised by the Foundation’s International Scientific Advisory Committee. Members of
the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) are leaders in Reef research and
management. ISAC has also established a Partner Management Committee to spend $443.3
million for the Reef Trust Partnership grant from the Australian Government which includes
$100 million investment into the largest coral reef adaptation and restoration program. Their
intention is to diminish the environmental footprint and transition into a carbon neutral planet.
They are also working with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to revitalize and
restore the Great Barrier Reef. Their long-term sustainability plan for 2050 is to assist in
delivering concrete solutions and measures for the Reef more cost-effectively.

Sources:

https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/884f8778-caa4-4bd9-b370-
318518827db6/files/23qrc-doc3.pdf

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/50851144.pdf

https://www.barrierreef.org/

https://reefrestorationfoundation.org/

https://www.wwf.org.au/about-us/history#gs.0zhiat
https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-partners/traditional-owners/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
islander-heritage-strategy

Guidelines for Social and Economic aspects of current activities:

o Economic Contribution
o Economic and Social Value
o Traditional Owner Value
o Brand Value
o Visitation to the Reef
o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social values for the Great barrier Reef