Cairns Regional Council recommends improvements to Great Barrier Reef plan

Cairns Regional Council has made 16 recommendations on the updated Draft Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan - Australia’s overarching long-term strategy for protecting and managing the Great Barrier Reef to support its health and resilience.

In responding to the updated Plan – Cairns Regional Council would like to see an independent review of management structures, along with a quantification of future Federal and Queensland government investment as part of a new long-term strategy to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

The Australian and Queensland governments are updating the Plan as part of the first five yearly comprehensive review. The updated draft Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan was released for a six-week public consultation period from 19th August to 30th September 2020. The outcomes of this consultation will inform the finalisation of the updated Reef 2050 Plan. A final updated Plan is expected to be released in early 2021.

While there is support for the vision of the plan – The Great Barrier Reef is sustained as a living natural and cultural wonder of the world – Cairns Regional Council recommended that the vision be reframed to inspire urgent action in the short to medium term from all stakeholders.

Recommendations made in Council’s submission included:

• Quantify and confirm the future investment that will be made by the Australian and Queensland Governments in the Draft Plan’s priority work areas over the period 2020 to 2025.

• Include as a strategic action a detailed independent review of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Wet Tropics Rainforest (WTR) management structures and GBR/WTR funding (quantum and structure) requirements for the long-term management and preservation of these critical ecosystems.

• Acknowledge the potential benefits to the GBR of pursuing a ‘Green Economy’ objective.

• Include support for local governments to work in conjunction with Traditional Owners on catchment and coastal management.

To read the full Reef 2050 Plan, highlights and Reef 2050 Policy Guideline for Decision Makers, click here.