Great barrier reef to close tourist operations by 2020

[colic2bullsgirlore]

well you have not read the headline yet... and by the time it is published it will be too late.

Aptly named 'Abbot Point" will surely be the present goverments greatest faux paux to the detriment of the biggest "big

Australian"

http://fightforthereef.org.au/

http://fightforthereef.org.au/abbot-point-decision-damaging-short-sighted/

The almighty dollar ...forget Holden's demise the lib/nats have their eyes set on destroying Australias biggest tourism

$$$ earner .......gotta love progress

[colic2bullsgirlore]

The Federal Government’s decision to allow three million cubic metres of sediment and rock to be dredged and dumped in World Heritage waters to expand Abbot Point port, is “damaging and short-sighted,” reef campaigners said today.

AMCS Great Barrier Reef Campaign Director, Felicity Wishart, said the go ahead for dredging and dumping flies in the face of the Coalition’s claims during the election campaign that it had the Reef’s best interests at heart.

“This opens the way for Abbot Point to become the world’s biggest coal port just 50km from the tourist magnet of the Whitsunday Islands,” Ms Wishart said.

“Dredging and dumping on this scale is a body blow to an already fragile Reef. This is bad for the natural environment, tourism, fishers and jobs.

“New Environment Minister Greg Hunt has turned his back on the evidence and failed in his first major test of protection for the Reef,” she said.

WWF Campaign Director Richard Leck said a disposal site had not yet been finalised.

“How can the Minister approve the dumping when we don’t even know where this dredge spoil is going,” Mr Leck said.

“Three million cubic metres of dredge spoil is enough to fill 150 thousand dump trucks, that lined up bumper-to-bumper, would stretch from Brisbane to Melbourne.

[lakeland27]

i'ne noticed a few glass-bottomed boats for sale recently.. these newman abbott point types have got to go.

[monman12]

C2BG, the Abott Point expansion will involve dredging the sea bed to make room for 2 additional berths in a well established coal port area. This sea bed material  (3 million cu/m) will then be  dumped some 25 Kms away in much deeper water on the sea bed.

The nearest part of the Great Barrier reef to all this is around 45Km away (45Km), woopeedo!.

Some 5 years ago in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay,  the same amount of material was dredged up  over its length (shipping channel) and dumped  elsewhere in the Bay. The average depth of the Bay is only 13 metres. The environmentalists (Blue Wedge) made a range of dire predictions as to the effects upon the Bay, which have not eventuated.  I do suspect that  this project will produce  (has?) a similar amount of  predictions lacking science or precedent,  but  I am always open to any argued/scientific  debate, but not when there is a whiff of a nearby Milne.

nɥºɾ

[colic2bullsgirlore]

---

@monman12 wrote:

C2BG, the Abott Point expansion will involve dredging the sea bed to make room for 2 additional berths in a well established coal port area. This sea bed material  (3 million cu/m) will then be  dumped some 25 Kms away in much deeper water on the sea bed.

The nearest part of the Great Barrier reef to all this is around 45Km away (45Km), woopeedo!.

Some 5 years ago in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay,  the same amount of material was dredged up  over its length (shipping channel) and dumped  elsewhere in the Bay. The average depth of the Bay is only 13 metres. The environmentalists (Blue Wedge) made a range of dire predictions as to the effects upon the Bay, which have not eventuated.  I do suspect that  this project will produce  (has?) a similar amount of  predictions lacking science or precedent,  but  I am always open to any argued/scientific  debate, but not when there is a whiff of a nearby Milne.

nɥºɾ

---

Do you think it's worth the risk??? The dredging is only half the problem the increased traffic is a whole other kettle of (contaminated) fish

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/resources-and-publications/publications/shen-neng-1-grounding-impact-assess...

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/three-kilometres-of-great-barrier-reef-damage-20-years-to-mend-201...

It could take 20 years or more for the Great Barrier Reef to recover from three kilometres of destruction caused by the grounding of a Chinese coal ship, authorities have revealed.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says the damage to the reef is significant, with large parts of Douglas Shoal "completely flattened" and marine life "pulverised".

The refloated Shen Neng 1 has been moved to an area behind Great Keppel Island to protect it from incoming bad

weather.

It is expected to remain there for three or four days while divers check the condition of the hull.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/17833/Shen-Neng-information-sheet-4.pdf

October 2010.

Initial findings of that full report include that: •

Overall, it is estimated that 115,000 m 2 of the habitats of Douglas Shoal were severely damaged or destroyed, and patchy damage occurred over much of the 290,000 m 2 that the ship affected whilst grounded •

Contamination by Tributyltin, a highly toxic component of antifouling paint now banned for current use, was present, although highly patchy in its distribution •

The patterns of damage and contamination are strongly related to the path of the vessel during the grounding, with very little damaged seafloor or contamination recorded at sites distant from the path of the vessel

This incident is the subject of a range of investigations. Consequently the capacity for public release of reports and other information relating to the incident may be affected

[the_great_she_elephant]

 I am always open to any argued/scientific  debate, but not when there is a whiff of a nearby Milne.

Umm, John, I'm sure this is not what you meant to say, but the way it is written you appear to be telling us that if the discussion invoves a nearby mine you are not prepared to listen to scientific debate. That doesn't ound like you.