10 ways to save the Great Barrier Reef

The authors critique the draft Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan for failing to prioritize protection over sustainable use and for lacking measurable targets. They highlight that 24 of 41 values of the Great Barrier Reef are deteriorating, with 10 in 'poor' condition. The document calls for the plan to explicitly address climate change, ban sea dumping of dredge spoil in World Heritage Areas, and re-empower the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to prevent the reef from being listed as 'In-Danger' by the World Heritage Committee.

• The draft Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan is criticized for failing to prioritize the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, instead treating 'sustainable use' as an equal objective to protection, which contradicts the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975.
• Current assessments indicate a severe decline in the reef's health, with 24 out of 41 values that constitute its 'outstanding universal value' deteriorating, and 10 of those—including corals, seagrass, dugong, marine turtles, and seabirds—already in 'poor' condition.
• Despite climate change being identified as the primary long-term challenge for the reef in 2009 and 2014 outlook reports, the draft Reef 2050 plan is described as being 'virtually silent' on climate change and ocean acidification.
• The document identifies critical gaps regarding port development and dredging, noting that 'Priority Port Development Areas' remain undefined and that the plan lacks a permanent ban on dumping dredge spoil within Australian World Heritage Areas.
• Water quality is threatened by projected growth in Queensland, including the expectation that both agricultural production and population will double by 2040, as well as increased shipping and port expansion.

APA

Day, J., Pressey, B., Brodie, J., & Hughes, T. (2014). 10 ways to save the Great Barrier Reef. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/10-ways-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef/

Chicago

Day, Jon, Bob Pressey, Jon Brodie, and Terry Hughes. 10 ways to save the Great Barrier Reef. World Economic Forum, 2014. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/10-ways-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Day |first1=Jon |last2=Pressey |first2=Bob |last3=Brodie |first3=Jon |last4=Hughes |first4=Terry |title=10 ways to save the Great Barrier Reef |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=28 October 2014 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/10-ways-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{day2014ways, author = {Day, Jon and Pressey, Bob and Brodie, Jon and Hughes, Terry}, title = {{10 ways to save the Great Barrier Reef}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/10-ways-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }