Call for the Cora Sea to be included in Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

This might become an election issue and maybe that will help it to become reality. The Coral Sea deserves proper protection - all divers who have been out there have seen the amazing marine life that could be lost by failing to protect this area before it gets targeted for exploitation.

In the Sydney Morning Herald:

The next federal government must consider extending the Great Barrier Reef marine park to include the Coral Sea, making it the world's greatest marine park, the Australian Greens say.

Greens leader Bob Brown said the Coral Sea is one of the world's unrecognised wonders, and is home to 30 coral atolls and large marine species such as swordfish, turtles, sharks and tuna.

Senator Brown said the next federal government should extend the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's ambit to cover the Coral Sea.

"There is a need to exclude future oil and gas exploration which would pose an enormous threat to the Coral Sea, which extends over 800,000 square kilometres beyond the 350,000 square kilometres Great Barrier Reef Marine National Park," Senator Brown said in a statement.

Senator Brown will join Queensland Senate candidate Larissa Waters in Brisbane later Tuesday to outline the plan.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Include-Coral-Sea-in-Barrier-Reef-park/2007/11/13/1194766647330.html

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-11-14

Replies of 1

PhillipB added 2007-11-17: Its doubtful that the GBR is in any better shape as a result of the GBRMPA's 'management'. Basically all it does is treat fishermen as the 'evil doers' with its 33% green zones. Concentrating the fishing pressure (alreaded light and very much sustainable), in a smaller area with no though to the consequences just environmental meddling. The GBRMPA is an out of control bureaucracy which needs to be reigned in - not given more power. It has lied to parliament as to the fishing pressure on the GBR, given 320 anglers criminal records and heavy fines for innocent mistakes of fishing in the wrong place, cherry picked research which suports its existance and seen 200m dollars in compensation paid out to shore based businesses when it said that only a couple of million will be needed.

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