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Resort joins fight to save reef /Newsport
Resort joins fight to save reef
Friday March 14 2014
A luxury Port Douglas resort is throwing its support behind an environmental group's campaign to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Niramaya Villas and Spa have donated five nights accommodation at their retreat to the Australian Marine Conservation Society's [AMCS] Sea Guardian program, launched last week.
Manager, Zac Sarnecki said conserving the World Heritage listed reef was too important an issue to ignore.
"This is just our way of helping," he said.
"We live on the Great Barrier Reef and apart from diving on it, our entire industry relies on it.
"There seems to be a lot happening around the Great Barrier Reef in terms of the dredging that will happen at Abbot Point and there are other threats to the reef as well."
So we're trying to raise awareness that the reef does need to be conserved."
Mr Sarnecki said major developments, like the proposed dredging of Trinity Inlet near Cairns, needed to be well thought out and not hurt the tourism industry in the long run.
"You can be pro-business and against dredging because at the end of the day, if you destroy it there's not going to be anything left to see and no-one will come here," he said.
"It's an important part of Australia, it is an icon and it's one of the main reasons people come to this area."
The Niramaya package will be used to raise funds for the AMCS and is valued at $2,700 dollars.
Guests will stay in a three bedroom Balinese villa, featuring a plunge pool and gardens.