Brad Fish: "UNESCO have been out to Australia, doing their studies and so forth and looking at the long term or the vulnerability of the Great Barrier Reef.  Unfortunately I think ports get drawn into this more than they should.  Some of the more recent studies by independent scientific bodies, Australian Institute of Marine Scientists...for example, show that by far the largest impacts on the health of the Reef are things like storm effects.  We’ve had a number of years now fairly large cyclone activity.  Our...which is a natural attribute.  And other natural areas are by far the biggest; I won’t say risk to the Reef, but impactors on the Reef.  Ports are a long long way down the list.  However, UNESCO did come out last year and I spent some time with them there.  I think they recognised again the Great Barrier Reef is probably one of the best managed reef systems of its kind in the world.  And we’re lucky within Australia with the resources we have financial and other that we can do that.  And they’re very keen to ensure that we continue to I suppose set the benchmark for other places in the world which are less able to manage their very important reef systems.  But in saying that we’ve provided a fair amount of information to UNESCO.  The accumulative impact assessment work I referred to before they were very happy with, they liked that.  And they’re very keen that we continue to work in a cooperative manner in the strategic assessments going forward."

Categories: Environment & Climate, Great Barrier Reef
Author: SmarterWorld.tv