Australia launched a $130 million plan on Friday to stop pesticide dumping and other water quality problems in the Great Barrier Reef.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek presented the project, which also aims to improve the management of invasive species and land administration in the most vulnerable parts of the reef.
Considered the largest living structure in the world, lThe Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2,300 kilometres and is home to enormous biodiversity, with more than 600 types of coral and 1,625 species of fish..
But repeated episodes of bleaching, when extreme heat strips corals of nutrients and color, threaten their fragile ecosystem.
These phenomena have occurred in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and this year.
The damage to the reef is such that UNESCO He considered placing the Great Barrier Reef on the list of world heritage sites “in danger”.
Plibersek said the investment was key to addressing some of the ecosystem’s problems and “ensuring that the beauty and majesty of the reef can be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren.”
“Sediment dumping is one of the biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef”, he declared.
“Poor water quality prevents coral from regenerating, kills algae and blocks sunlight necessary for a healthy reef,” he added.
This year’s bleaching event has caused high or extreme levels of damage to 81% of the reef, one of the most severe according to government data.
It will take scientists a few months to determine which parts of the ecosystem are beyond recovery.
Marine Conservation Society of Australia conservationist Lissa Schindler welcomed the government funding boost, But he warned that more measures are needed to address the root of the problem, climate change.
“Water pollution is one of the biggest threats to the reef beyond climate change,” he told AFP. “The reef needs all the help it can get.”
Until recently, authorities in Australia, one of the world’s largest exporters of gas and coal, had taken no steps to move toward carbon neutrality.