Reef Hour held in Port Douglas
Reef Hour held in Port Douglas
Friday November 28 2014, 10:40am
Environmental concerns about the Great Barrier Reef were discussed at a ‘Reef Hour’ event in Port Douglas on Wednesday evening.
About 100 people attended the event, which was held at Lure restaurant in the Reef Marina.
key speakers at the Reef Hour included included Douglas Shire Council mayor Julia Leu, Mark Fraenkel from Blue Dive Port Douglas and Josh Coates from the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC).
Topics discussed included US president Barack Obama’s comments regarding the Great Barrier Reef and the organising of a tour operator ‘Reef Flotilla’ on-water demonstration against human reef impacts such as dredge spoil dumping.
Mark Fraenkel said criticism by Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop of Mr Obama’s comments contradicted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)’s research.
“In the 2014 Reef Outlook report, GBRMPA describes climate change as the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Fraenkel said.
“And yet here Ms Bishop is saying that climate change isn’t an issue, the Reef’s not in danger and ‘of course it will still be here in 20 years’ when that simply isn’t what the experts are saying.
“Pretty much all of the Australian scientific establishment is in agreement that climate change is a major, major problem from Great Barrier Reef health.”
Also discussed at the Reef Hour was the possible formation of a ‘Reef Flotilla’, a planned on-water protest against Reef health impacts from human activity.
Mr Fraenkel envisions the Flotilla being made up of vessels from the Port Douglas tour boat fleet to be filmed from an aircraft or camera drone.
“I think right now it’s looking like it’s going to happen,” Mr Fraenkel said.
“We had been planning on trying to hold it at the same time as filming for Pirates of the Carribean next year but right now we are looking at around April or May next year to avoid the wet season.”
Mr Fraenkel said the issues surrounding the potential dredging of Trinity Inlet in Cairns needed to remain in the public focus, but that the conversation should not focus on discouraging development of ports.
“It’s not an anti-development argument at all,” he said.
“We just need to shift the thinking so environmental impact costs are considered as a fundamental part of a project’s budget, not something that you start thinking about at the last minute.”
See a full gallery of photos by Newsport photographer Rosie Wang below:
