According to an exhaustive Australian government report the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef has deteriorated from poor to very poor and warns the window of opportunity to improve the natural wonder’s future “is now”.
Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Dr Ian Poiner described the evidence-based report as “sobering”.
The five-year report by the federal government body said climate change was escalating and was the most significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef’s long-term survival.
“The current rate of global warming will not allow the maintenance of a healthy reef for future generations,” the report said.
Experts said strong mitigation actions “within the next decade” were necessary to achieve the best possible outlook for the reef and future generations.
“Specifically, early and effective global and national action on climate change, coupled with local actions to facilitate recovery, are imperative over the next 10 years if the region is to have a positive long-term outlook.
“The scientific evidence is clear: initiatives that will halt and reverse the effects of climate change at a global level and effectively improve water quality at a regional scale are the most urgent to improve the long-term outlook,” the report said.
According to the report, “without additional local, national and global action on the greatest threats, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem will remain very poor, with continuing consequences for its heritage values also”.
The downgraded outlook status comes after back-to-back coral bleaching events, cyclones and record-breaking warm water, particularly affecting the northern part of the reef, which had previously been considered to be pristine.
“Cumulative pressures, predominantly from climate change, combined with the time required for the recovery of key habitats, species and ecosystem processes, have caused the continued deterioration of the overall health of the Great Barrier Reef,” said Dr Poiner.
“Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is very poor.”
The report found there was a “multi-tiered governance and management regime” to protect the reef’s biodiversity, ecosystem and heritage values.
“However this regime is not designed to directly address the effects of a changing climate,” the report said.
“Climate change remains the greatest risk to the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Area and its integrity”
GBRMPA chief scientist Dr David Wachenfeld said everything possible should be done to create recovery windows.
“Gradual sea temperature increase and extremes, such as marine heat waves, are the most immediate threats to the reef,” he said.
“Global action on climate change is critical.”
The report said that the window of opportunity to improve the Great Barrier Reef’s long-term future was now and strong and effective management was needed.
ABC News reports Environment Minister Sussan Ley said steps were already being taken to address the challenges, including the launch of a $6 million “Reef Resilience” vessel.
“This is an outlook we can change and are committed to changing,” she said.
ABC News reports Ms Ley said the reef was the “best managed reef in the world” and reiterated the conservative Liberal-National government’s $1.2 billion funding commitment.
“We are taking the action that we’re required to do under our Paris Agreement commitments,” she said.
The outlook report was one of two major reports published about the reef today.
A separate report card on the condition of inshore reefs released by the federal and state governments rated their condition in 2017-18 as a “D”, largely due to poor water quality driven by land management practices including farming.
The reports come amid a campaign by farmers in Queensland against state government plans to tighten regulations on agricultural run-off that flows into reef catchments.
Information in the report will form part of the evidence considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee when it examines the reef’s health and status next year.
Australia successfully campaigned in 2015 for the reef’s world heritage listing not to be considered in danger.
Media reports this week indicated the conservative Liberal-National government was pushing UNESCO to resolve how it would deal with climate impacts on world heritage properties, including the Great Barrier Reef.
Richard Leck, from WWF-Australia, said the outlook report was a sombre reminder of the challenges facing the reef.
He said solutions were available and must be included in a revamped Reef 2050 plan due from the federal and Queensland Labor state governments next year.
He said the plan must take climate change seriously and Queensland needed to pass regulations to reduce farm runoff.
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the plan must take climate change seriously and Queensland needed to pass regulations to reduce farm runoff.
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