Strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and adjacent coastal zone
The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most treasured natural wonders and is internationally renowned for its outstanding biodiversity and beauty.
The reef is a multiple-use area that supports a range of activities and industries, such as tourism, fishing, boating and shipping. Its adjacent catchments also support many communities and diverse industries that generate more than $40 billion annually. The region is critical to the economic and social wellbeing of more than one million Australians.
The Australian and Queensland governments are committed to ensuring the Great Barrier Reef is passed on to future generations retaining the values for which it was declared a World Heritage area, and that it continues to be one of the best-known and iconic marine protected areas in the world—an outstanding part of Australia’s heritage that is managed by Australians for the benefit of the whole world.
The Australian and Queensland governments and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) are working together to undertake a comprehensive strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the adjacent coastal zone.
The strategic assessment is being conducted in response to a decision made by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC), which expressed concern about the potential impact of coastal or marine development on a World Heritage area. The WHC decision urged Australia to undertake a comprehensive strategic assessment of the World Heritage area, identifying planned and potential developments that could impact on the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage area.
The comprehensive strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef area will involve a marine component and a coastal component. Each component will involve a strategic assessment under section 146 of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBCA). The assessments will be undertaken simultaneously and are expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.
Read more about the Australian government's strategic assessment process.
The draft terms of reference set out the requirements for the preparation of a strategic assessment report.
Last updated 17 February 2012