A Port Douglas tour operator will speak at at a public information event about the Reef 2050 Plan in Cairns next week.

The ‘Reef Hour’ event will be held at the Salt House restaurant at Marina Point and will feature speakers including Mark Fraenkel, operator of Blue Dive in Port Douglas. 

Other speakers at the event will including Cairns and Far North Environment Centre marine co-ordinator Josh Coates and underwater photographer Xanthe Rivett. 

The Reef Hour event is meant to encourage public consultation on the Reef 2050 plan, which is the government’s strategy to protect and sustain the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Reef 2050 plan comes after warnings by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) that it would reclassify the World Heritage status of the Great Barrier Reef if more was not done to protect its health.

Mr Fraenkel, a British expat, urged anyone interested to attend the event. 

“The UN is our friend, not our enemy,” Mr Fraenkel said. 

“We all have a duty, whether Aussies or not, to stand up and be counted to defend the Great Barrier Reef. 

“Our reef here is fantastic but there are still threats to it, so please come along.

Josh Coates also said it was vital to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Here in the far North our reefs are beautiful and crucial to our tourism industry, but they face an increasing array of threats," he said. 

"We need to ensure that our reefs remain healthy for the future.

“We are sending out an invitation to tourism operators, crew, divers and others with an interest in the future of the GBR to attend Reef Hour at Salt House 6pm next Tuesday.

 “The State and Federal Governments are reacting to UNECO’s concerns and the potential listing of the reef as ‘World Heritage in Danger’ with the release of the draft Reef 2050 plan for public comment. By providing information in an informal setting, at a location on the marina and delivered by locals we hope that more people will get active in ensuring we have a plan for the future, not just a document full of motherhood statements.

“This event will provide short presentations from tourism professionals and environmental experts, a chance for informal discussions with peers in a relaxed atmosphere and easy ways for people to engage if they choose to.”

A follow-up Reef Hour event in Port Douglas is planned to be held one month after the Cairns event.