EXPERT REACTION: Great Barrier Reef to get a $204m boost

News of additional funding for the Great Barrier Reef is welcomed, but this is an opportune moment to remind our leaders that reengineering wildlife is not an appropriate response to the climate crisis. Modern corals, for example, have evolved from ancient lineages dating back over 500 million years. They have an incredible ability to evolve and adapt, however, they can only do that if the rate of environmental change, including the level of carbon accumulation in the atmosphere is dramatically slowed down.

Further government leadership and investment in helping companies, businesses and the general public transition away from a reliance on oil and gas to a cleaner, greener future is urgently needed to effectively protect the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s fantastic news for the reef, but by funding this one ecosystem in particular, we are ignoring the remainder of Australia’s vast marine estate. This includes the Great Southern Reef, which starts here and continues all the way around the southern half of the continent to a similar latitude in West Australia and brings in more money for Australia annually, through tourism and fisheries alone, yet receives substantially less funding in general and in particular from pledges such as this one.

From the Great Southern Reef, seaweed forests are disappearing rapidly. We have seen a greater than 90 per cent loss of Giant Kelp from Tasmania in the last few decades, and many other species, including Golden Kelp, are likely to retract by more than 70 per cent across Australia by 2100. Losing those is just as scary but these declines are seeing a lot less attention and funding. Like the Great Barrier Reef, the main cause of these declines is ocean warming. That’s the problem we need to address. Funding innovative adaptation science to help reefs recover is also important but arguably pointless if we don’t do anything about the main cause.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the main icons for the country in terms of visitors inbound and domestic. Most people coming to Queensland head to two main areas, the Gold Coast and the reef. They also spend more and stay longer. Post-COVID, flights and cruise traffic are on the rise again, indicating the importance and popularity of the reef continues. We are also seeing more flights to Cairns which is the gateway to GBR.

This funding is quite timely because the reef is vulnerable to climate change and also natural disasters, and we need to act quickly. It is also well-aligned with the World Tourism Organisation's declaration for 2023 as the year of tourism and green investments.

If we lose the reef, it would be catastrophic and we would lose the natural heritage listing. In the history of the UNESCO listings, very few have been de-listed so it would paint a bleak picture for Australia.

One thing we could consider to protect the reef could be a coral reef insurance scheme, particularly where the reef is most fragile, including Central Queensland where it has been hit by cyclones and natural disasters.

The Australian government's additional $204 million in Reef investment signals a more systematic approach to improving the reef's health and addressing climate change.

Investing $15m in Gladstone, the heart of the Queensland fossil fuel industry, will make the central Queensland region a major renewable and marine ecosystem research hub. The new Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre is a clear signal to invest more in transitioning to zero emissions.

The money also aims to reassure the UNESCO World Heritage Committee over coastal development impacts on the Reef by plugging existing gaps in the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan.

Through local-level blue carbon initiatives, the funds will continue the existing investments in replanting, restoring and repairing the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, $20 million is towards assisting corals and large-scale infrastructure projects, including new boats and fisheries management.  

The $204 million is an increase on the previous government's one-billion-dollar funding pledge taking the total investment in the Great Barrier Reef over two budgets to $1.204 billion.