Extra water quality funding essential for health of Great Barrier Reef

The Australian Government’s extra $192 million in funding to reduce pollution in Great Barrier Reef waters will help address nitrogen pollution and brings a welcome focus on wetlands.

The Reef Water Quality report card released in May showed Australia will not hit the 2025 Reef water quality targets designed to protect the health of the Reef’s ecosystems, corals and seagrasses. It showed that the main water pollutants – sediment and fertilisers from farming and tree clearing – continue to run off into waterways in volumes detrimental to Reef health.

Australian Marine Conservation Society Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Manager Dr Max Hirschfeld notes “Efforts to reduce the amount of nutrients from excessive use of fertilisers entering Reef waters have been falling well short, so this extra funding is much needed to reduce stress on the Reef as it recovers from the most recent bleaching event.

“Excessive nutrients such as nitrogen can cause phytoplankton blooms that block vital sunlight for coral and seagrass growth and promote seaweed growth that competes with corals for space. At the current rate of nitrogen pollution reduction, we will not hit the 2025 target until we’re in the next century.

“Previous investment has not been targeted to the areas that need it the most. Targeting hotspots, areas with the highest nitrogen pollution, will be essential to get the most out of the funding for water quality and the Reef.

“The government has said there will also be funding for protecting and restoring coastal wetlands, which play a critical role in filtering pollution before entering Reef waters. Wetland restoration will require substantial long-term support and strategic placement, and we look forward to more details about how the government is planning to achieve this.

“The Great Barrier Reef has recently experienced one of the worst coral bleaching events on record, the fifth mass bleaching event in eight years. Reducing water pollution will improve the Reef’s health so it can better cope with the increasingly frequent and intense marine heatwaves and coral bleaching events, caused by climate change.

“The impacts of climate change are worsening and Australia must couple this investment with strong action on climate change if it wants this money to not be wasted. The Australian Government is yet to introduce the full package of reforms of our national environmental laws, which must stop climate-polluting projects to protect nature.

“UNESCO has clearly stated it wants the Australian Government to aim for higher greenhouse gas cuts to keep average global temperature rise to 1.5oC – a critical threshold for the survival of coral reefs. That would mean Australia committing to net-zero emissions by 2035. The OECD’s conservative International Energy Agency has said we cannot start any new fossil fuel projects if we are to keep global warming to 1.5oC.”