Great Barrier Reef threat at 'highest level'

Environment Minister,
Greg Hunt.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the coral bleaching threat level on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park will be increased to its highest level.

Mr Hunt took a flight over Lizard Island in Queensland's far north to view the bleaching event, after researchers working on the island reported the worst level of bleaching in 15 years.

But Mr Hunt said it was not as bad as first thought.

"It is not as severe at this stage as 1998 or 2002, which were both El Nino-related events, it is however, in the northern parts a cause for concern,"' Mr Hunt said.

"The reef is 2,300 kilometres long and the bottom three-quarters is in strong condition, but as we head north, it becomes increasingly prone to bleaching.

"Essentially what you could see was patches of coral bleaching as you approached Lizard Island."

The University of Queensland's Global Change Institute surveyed 40 sites in the far northern section of the reef and again in 2014, following Tropical Cyclone Ita.

The Federal Government will now fund another survey of the same sites in September this year.

Read the ABC News story - ‘Barrier Reef coral bleaching threat level increased, Greg Hunt announces funding for survey.”

(I’m confused! The CSIRO, unquestionably a government organization, has significantly changed its ability to undertake and complete climate change research and yet now the government’s Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, has announced to research the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef.

The bleaching that has attracted the government funding can be directly attributed to climate change, something that immeasurably worsened by Federal Government policies, such as allowing the giant Adani coal mine to proceed – Robert McLean.)