Australia plans to dump tons of sludge on the Great Barrier Reef
07/09/2019 // Cassie B. // Views

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia has been under threat lately from coral bleaching, but now it’s facing what experts are terming “another nail in the coffin” as plans have been approved to dump more than a million tons of sludge there.

In January, a permit was issued by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to allow North Queensland Bulk Ports to dump a slew of maintenance dredge sludge in the area of the reef, exploiting a loophole in a law that was put in place to protect this natural wonder. Although capital dredging is expressly banned, it doesn’t specifically outlaw port maintenance, which entails removing the sediment that has built up in shipping lanes.

The dredging will take place across a ten-year span at the port at Mackay’s Hay Point. Backers of the project claim it is necessary to ensure that ships and boats can access marinas and ports safely. A spokesperson for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said that the material they plan to dredge will be naturally occurring and that the approval came down after a 60-day period of public comments. They say that without the maintenance dredging, the park will be vulnerable to accidents or the grounding impact of stranded boats.

Greens senator Larissa Water called for the permit to be revoked, telling The Guardian: “The last thing the reef needs is more sludge dumped on it, after being slammed by the floods recently. One million tonnes of dumping dredged sludge into world heritage waters treats our reef like a rubbish tip.”

She also pointed out that the difference between the capital dredging that has been banned and the maintenance dredging they’ll be carrying out thanks to the loophole means nothing to the reef, which is going to suffer in any case.

Brighteon.TV

The National Oceanography Centre of Southampton’s Dr. Simon Boxall said that if the sludge is dumped over the coral reef itself, the effect will be “devastating” as it blankets over the coral. This will cut the coral off from the algae it relies on for sustenance.

While the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, which is in charge of Hay Point, acknowledges that there will be an impact on marine life, they say it will be short-term in nature and that the risks are “predominantly low.”

Coral reefs in Australia already in delicate condition

The news comes at a bad time as the reef has already lost half of its corals to bleaching. Last year, Australia pledged AUS$500 million to protect the reef after the losses. At that time, one of the reef’s threats was identified as “large amounts of sediment,” so it’s difficult to understand why they are now allowing this type of activity to go forward.

Some of the reefs have rebounded from the mass bleaching that took place in 2016 and 2017, but others are showing lasting effects and some have noted further declines. The reefs also suffered damage from tropical cyclone Penny earlier this year. Experts say it takes coral 10 years to rebound. What effect will dumping sludge have on these already delicate reefs as they try to recover?

Sources for this article include:

EcoWatch.com

TheGuardian.com



Take Action:
Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NaturalNews.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.
App Store
Android App
eTrust Pro Certified

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2022 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
Natural News uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.