Dumping near Great Barrier Reefby | 02-02-2014 00:00 |
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 UNESCO CONCERNED OVER REEF The permit to dump 3 million cubic metres of mud within the marine park could place at risk the World Heritage-listing of the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's top tourist attractions. Millions of cubic metres of dredged mud to be dumped near the fragile reef to create the world's biggest coal port. UNESCO, which awarded the reef its heritage listing, last year postponed a decision to June 2014 on whether to put the Great Barrier Reef on its "in danger" list or even cancel its World Heritage listing. It is awaiting a report from the national government on steps taken to address its concerns. The reef authority on Friday urged the state and national governments and industry to come up with a new sustainable ports plan that would reduce the need for dredging along the reef. The reef authority imposed strict conditions on the dumping permit, including no environmental, cultural or heritage damage to areas beyond 20 km (12 miles) from the disposal site, and urged the ports corporation to consider other dump sites. Environmentalists, scientists and tour operators had fought the plan to dump soil 25 km from the reef, which they fear will harm delicate corals and seagrasses and potentially double ship traffic through the World Heritage marine park. http://climatestate.com/forums/topic/australia-permits-dredge-dumping-near-great-barrier-reef-for-major-coal-port/ |
