Cairns, Australia. The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) calls on the Queensland government to relieve pressures on the Great Barrier Reef rather than proceeding with capital dredging of the Trinity Inlet.
Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) Great Barrier Reef Campaigner David Cazzulino said, “The World Heritage Great Barrier Reef is the lifeblood of the local tourism industry.
“Due to the impacts of global warming, our Reef is under more pressure than ever after back-to-back mass coral bleaching events. There are still so many beautiful sites to visit and we need to do everything we can to relieve pressure on these coral reefs.
“Proceeding with plans to dredge 1 million cubic metres flies in the face of Reef resilience plans.
“There are already approximately 350,000 cubic metres dredged from Trinity Inlet every year to maintain the depth of the channel. More capital dredging will result in even more maintenance dredging and even more pressure on nearby reefs.
“The Queensland government acknowledges the significant cumulative impacts of dredging up and down the Reef coast.
“Instead of approving massive new dredging projects, we need to build the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef so that it can cope with increased pressure from global warming. This means urgently passing stronger land-clearing legislation and water quality regulations, and doing our fair share to reduce carbon pollution, including stopping Adani’s Carmichael coal and stopping the opening up of the Galilee Basin.
“The federal government is responsible for protecting the outstanding universal value of the Reef. We call on the Turnbull government to revoke the approval of Adani’s Carmichael mine and move Australia rapidly away from coal to renewables in order to relieve pressure on our Reef.”
For interviews and more info:
David Cazzulino
Great Barrier Reef Community Campaigner – Cairns
0447238095