A far north Queensland environmental group says an advertising campaign questioning the impact of dredging on the Great Barrier Reef is misleading. 

The Queensland Resources Council [QRC] launched a television campaign this week citing findings from a 2012 Australian Institute of Marine Science [AIMS] report which attributed 48 per cent of coral lost to storms and cyclones over the last 27 years. 

The report claimed a further 42 per cent of coral had been destroyed by crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and 10 per cent to coral bleaching. 

The 30 second commercial added: 'no scientific study has blamed ports or shipping for coral loss.' 

But Cairns and Far North Environment Centre Director, Angelika Ziehrl said the study didn't take into account proposals for ports' expansions in the future.

"To say that dredging and dumping of spoil is a harmless activity has no scientific credibility," Ms Ziehrl said. 

"The study was undertaken before 2012; hardly sufficient time to incorporate a study on the impacts of recent dredge proposal approvals. 

"Do we need to see how destructive an activity is before we consider protecting the environment against it?” 

QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche said some environmental groups were using the Great Barrier Reef as 'emotional leverage'. 

"Activists are ignoring the scientific evidence and blatantly peddling the line to Australian and international audiences that port developments, dredging and shipping are endangering the reef," he said. 

The advertising campaign follows on from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's [GBRMPA] approval of a plan to dump three million cubic metres of dredge spoil inside the marine park.

The dredging will be completed as part of the Abbot Point coal terminal expansion at Bowen in north Queensland.