Plan to Save Great Barrier Reef Won't Work, Australian Scientists Say

Australia's grand plan to save the rapidly diminishing Great Barrier Reef won't work, the country's pre-eminent grouping of natural scientists said Tuesday, let alone be able to maintain its current critical condition.

Last month, threats from the United Nations to put the site on the World Heritage "in danger" list prompted Australian officials to draft a plan to protect the reef, which is home to a multitude of wildlife and important for long-term sustainable development.

However, the Australian Academy of Science warned that the proposal ignored a key player in the reef's dwindling outlook: climate change. It also failed to address problems with poor water quality, coastal development and fishing.

"The science is clear, the reef is degraded and its condition is worsening. This is a plan that won't restore the reef, it won't even maintain it in its already diminished state," academy fellow Terry Hughes said in a statement.

"It is also more than disappointing to see that the biggest threat to the reef - climate change - is virtually ignored in this plan," he added.

According to BBC News Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, stretching for some 1,553 miles (2,500 km) along the eastern Queensland coast, hosts more than 1,500 different species of fish, 400 species of coral, 4,000 species of mollusc and hundreds of bird species.

Right now, the "Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan" identifies targets for reducing harmful agricultural run-off, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) says, and urges for a 10-year ban on coal dredging and development or expansion of ports. That's all well and good, but by the same token the Queensland government plans to double agricultural production by 2040.

But, opponents claim that the real survival of this "national treasure" - which generates over $5 billion annually for the Australian economy - depends more on reduced pollution, less fishing and a decrease in carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

"The reef is one of the world's great natural wonders and we cannot allow it to be turned into an industrial park and a shipping super-highway," campaigner Felicity Wishart told the AFP.

The Australian government's final reef plan is due in December.

This isn't the first time people have voiced their doubts about the future success of the "Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan." Just last month, Nature World News previously reported, conservationists noted concerns that the plan, to be carried out over the next 35 years, was a lot of talk and no action.