Staff Papers
Copyright resides with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
For more information contact:
Librarian
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority PO Box 1379
Townsville Qld 4810 Australia Phone: +61 7 47500701
Fax: +61 7 47726093 email: [email protected]
Baldwin, C., McGinnity, P. and Byron, G.
Waste discharge in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
In: Workshop on Nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef Region, ed. C. Baldwin, Townsville: Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park Authority, 1988 (Workshop series/GBRMPA;
no. 10) p. 3-10
Staff Paper 1987-23
- 3 - NOT FOR LOAN
W A S T E D I S C H A R G E I N T H E G R E A T B A R R I E R R E E F M A R I N E P A R K C l a u d i a B a l d w i n , P e t e r M c G i n n i t y , a n d G r a h a m e B y r o n G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef M a r i n e P a r k A u t h o r i t y
i T
B A C K G R O U N D
In M a y 1984 the M a r i n e Park A u t h o r i t y s p o n s o r e d a W o r k s h o p on C o n t a m i n a n t s in W a t e r s of the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef M a r i n e Park.
The W o r k s h o p c o n c e n t r a t e d on h e a v y m e t a l s , p o l y c h l o r i n a t e d
b i p h e n y l s (PCBs) and other o r g a n o c h l o r i n e s , and h y d r o c a r b o n s . I a t t e m p t i n g to a s s i g n p r i o r i t i e s to a r e a s of f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h ; p a r t i c i p a n t s n o t e d that s e d i m e n t s and n u t r i e n t s w e r e m o r e l i k e l y to be of g r e a t e r c o n c e r n to the R e e f than the three c o n t a m i n a n t g r o u p s c o n s i d e r e d at that w o r k s h o p . I n p a r t i c u ! a r , an a r e a
r e c o m m e n d e d for further r e s e a r c h was:
J
"the e f f e c t s of a g r i c u l t u r a l f e r t i l i s e r s and o t h e r n u t r i e n t s e x p o r t e d to the G B R from t h e . m a i n l a n d . "
(Dutton, 1985, p.iii)
I n t e r e s t in n u t r i e n t and s e d i m e n t input has c o n t i n u e d in the A u t h o r i t y . We are a s s e s s i n g an i n c r e a s i n g n u m b e r of p e r m i t
a p p l i c a t i o n s for w a s t e d i s c h a r g e into the M a r i n e Park f r o m i s l a n d r e s o r t s and o t h e r t o u r i s t f a c i l i t i e s such as p o n t o o n s and the f l o a t i n g hotel. A s part of this a s s e s s m e n t , we have h a d to d e t e r m i n e d i s c h a r g e s t a n d a r d s a p p r o p r i a t e for m a r i n e c o a s t a l w a t e r s . . A recent report to the A u t h o r i t y on w a s t e d i s c h a r g e guide.lines by G r e e n f i e l d , et al.. (1987) h i g h l i g h t e d a n e e d to e x a m i n e the t o l e r a n c e level of c o r a l s t o n u t r i e n t s in p a r t i c u l a r , and s u g g e s t e d s t a n d a r d s for w a s t e 'discharge into reef w a t e r s . I n t e r n a t i o n a l l y , c o n c e r n is also b e i n g e x p r e s s e d a b o u t n u t r i e n t l e v e l s in f r e s h w a t e r and g r o u n d w a t e r systems, and e s t u a r i n e and
c o a s t a l e n v i r o n m e n t s . -'
As a r e s u l t of a recent r e v i e w of w a s t e s and their d i s p o s a l in the m a r i n e e n v i r o n m e n t , the U . S . ' O f f i c e of T e c h n O l o g y A s s e s s m e n t c o n c l u d e d a f t e r i n v e s t i g a t i n g o t h e r o p t i o n s such as o c e a n
d u m p i n g , that " w i t h r e g a r d to i m p a c t s c a u s e d by w a s t e d i s p o s a ! a c t i v i t i e s and run-off, the only p o l i c y c h o i c e a v a i l a b l e to m a i n t a i n and i m p r o v e the h e a l t h of e s t u a r i e s and c o a s t a l w a t e r s is to m i n i m i s e p o l l u t a n t i n p u t s to these w a t e r s , " by e i t h e r
m a i n t a i n i n g or e x p a n d i n g the c u r r e n t s y s t e m of p o l l u t a n t c o n t r o l s or e s t a b l i s h i n g a d d i t i o n a l site s p e c i f i c c o n t r o l s on w a s t e
d i s p o s a l a n d - n o n - p o i n t p o l l u t i o n w h e r e n e e d e d (O.T.A., 1987, p.13).
The ; ~ b m ~ G ~ m Bare'let Reef
' Manne P a ~ A uthon~
~ 0 . Box ~ TownsvH~4810
The A u s t r a l i a n E n v f r o n m e n t C o u n c i l has also r e v l e w e d the p r o b l e m of d e t e r i o r a t i o n of s t r e a m s and lakes in A u s t r a l i a due to
o v e r f e r t i l i s a t i o n by n u t r i e n t s (1987'). E u t r o p h i c a t i o n of lakes, rivers and estuaries, (taste and odour p r o b l e m s in c o u n t r y t o w n w a t e r s u p p l i e s and stock d e a t h s a t t r i b u t e d to b l u e - g r e e n algae) h a v e all b e e n d o c u m e n t e d . However, the impacts of n u t r i e n t s on
c o a s t a l w a t e r s h a v e y e t to be a d e q u a t e l y d e t e r m i n e d .
A w i d e range of sewage impacts on coral reef c o m m u n i t i e s has b e e n r e p o r t e d in v a r i o u s p a r t s o f the world. Little or n o ' i m p a c t has b e e n o b s e r v e d~ on some reefs in w e l l - f l u s h e d w a t e r s that have r e c e i v e d small q u a n t i t i e s of effluent, w h e r e a s large d i s c h a r g e s of e f f l u e n t into p o o r l y f l u s h e d lagoons and bays h a v e c a u s e d m a j o r c h a n g e s in s p e c i e s c o m p o s i t i o n and a b u n d a n c e ( P a s t o r a k , 1985).
It is e x p e c t e d that l e t h a l and sublethal impacts of n u t r i e n t s on c o r a l s w i l l be a d d r e s s e d more e x t e n s i v e l y d u r i n g the w o r k s h o p .
9 S O U R C E S O F N U T R I E N T S I N T H E M A R I N E P A R K
T h e r e are m a n y s o u r c e s of n u t r i e n t rich w a s t e e n t e r i n g the G r e a t Barri.er Reef Marine Park e a c h r e q u i r i n g some c o n s i d e r a t i o n . The p o i n t s o u r c e s are o b v i o u s and more readily m a n a g e d than the
d i f f u s e or n o n - p o i n t sources.
To date m a n a g e m e n t has f o c u s e d on point source d i s c h a r g e s d i r e c t l y into Marine Park w a t e r s such as sewage o u t f a l l s f r o m i s l a n d b a s e d resorts. M a n y resorts a l r e a d y have s e c o n d a r y t r e a t m e n t p l a n t s and o t h e r s are in the p r o c e s s of u p g r a d i n g . T h e s e o u t f a l l s are c u r r e n t l y r e g u l a t e d under c o n d i t i o n a l p e r m i t s i s s u e d by the A u t h o r i t y and u n d e r licences i s s u e d by Q u e e n s l a n d W a t e r Q u a l i t y Council. T h r o u g h the permit s y s t e m we are able t o
r e g u l a t e the quantity, q u a l i t y and point of d i s c h a r g e for e f f l u e n t as well as s t i p u l a t i n g m o n i t o r i n g p r o c e d u r e s . It is
r e c o g n i s e d though that the s t a n d a r d s are not n e c e s s a r i l y
a p p r o p r i a t e for coral reefs or open waters, w h i l e we a c c e p t that these c o n t r o l s have n o t s i g n i f i c a n t l y reduced the total a m o u n t of' n u t r i e n t s e n t e r i n g the M a r i n e Park, they do e n a b l e us to m o r e a d e q u a t e l y assess and m o n i t o r the s i t u a t i o n and to r e g u l a t e any f u t u r e e x p a n s i o n of w a s t e s d i s p o s e d .
As a g r o w t h i n d u s t r y in Q u e e n s l a n d , t o u r i s m will h a v e m o r e a n d m o r e of an impa'ct on Reef waters. It may be h e l p f u l to b r i e f l y o u t l i n e some of the t r e n d s in resort t o u r i s m that have
c o n v i n c e d the A u t h o r i t y of the n e e d 9 come to terms q u i c k l y w i t h i m p a c t s f r o m e f f l u e n t d i s c h a r g e .
- - 5 - -
To give an idea of the n u m b e r of v i s i t o r s g e n e r a t e d by type of facility, a c o m p a r i s o n of v i s i t o r days in the M a r i n e P a r k bY f a c i l i t y is i l l u s t r a t e d in T a b l e One.
T A B L E ONE
F a c i l i t y v i s i t o r Days
I s l a n d r e s o r t s C h a r t e r b o a t s P r i v a t e b o a t s
790 000 1 274 000 690 000
(Driml, 1987.)
T h e r e are 21 resort islands in the G B R Region. of these, the b u l k of ~ s l a n d a c c o m m o d a t i o n , w i t h 73% of a v a i l a b l e rooms, is l o c a t e d in the C e n t r a l S e c t i o n . Islands of the M a c k a y / C a p r i c o r n S e c t i o n s p ~ o v i d e a further 23% and i s l a n d s of C a i r n s S e c t i o n c o n t r i b u t e 4% of island r e s o r t rooms (Driml, 1987).
G r e e n Island is the single m o s t h e a v i l y v i s i t e d reef, w i t h an"
i n c r e a s e of 12% in v i s i t o r s b e t w e e n 1 9 8 5 / 8 6 and 1986/87, to total 1 9 3 , 5 0 0 v i s i t o r s in 1986/87.
G r o w t h in v i s i t o r n i g h t s at i s l a n d r e s o r t s h a s a c c e l e r a t e d i n r e c e n t y e a r s w i t h a 17.5% i n c r e a s e from 1983/84 to 1984/85. The year 1 9 8 4 / 8 5 to 1985/86 saw more m o d e r a t e g r o w t h w i t h a 6.5%
i n c r e a s e in v i s i t o r nights. Thfs is still s u b s t a n t i a l . A c o n s i d e r a b l e a m o u n t of i n v e s t m e n t is c u r r e n t l y b e i n g m a d e in b u i l d i n g n e w i s l a n d resorts a n d in the r e d e v e l o p m e n t and
e x t e n s i o n of e x i s t i n g resorts. Plans to b u i l d or e x t e n d r e s o r t s are r e p o r t e d to e x i s t for 14 islands and have b e e n p r o j e c t e d to lead to a d o u b l i n g of rooms w i t h i n a few y e a r s (Driml, 1987).
, t . .
W h i l e we p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s b e t t e r control of p o i n t s o u r c e
d i s c h a r g e s d i r e c t l y into the M a r i n e Park, it is i m p o r t a n t not to ignore n o n - p o i n t or d i f f u s e s o u r c e d i s c h a r g e .
Of c o n c e r n in this c a t e g o r y is the ever i n c r e a s i n g b o a t i n g a c t i v i t y w i t h i n the M a r i n e Park. B e t w e e n 1980 and 1 9 8 4 / 8 5 the n u m b e r of c o m m e r c i a l v e s s e l s o p e r a t i n g to take p a s s e n g e r s to t h e G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef more than d o u b l e d to a p p r o x i m a t e l y 275 (Dtiml,.
1987). W h i l s t m a n y of the l a r g e r v e s s e l s i n c l u d i n g the l a r g e c a t a m a r a n s have h o l d i n g tanks, theY legal~ly d i s c h a r g e U n t r e a t e d w a s t e w h i l e u n d e r w a y .
Fish f e e d i n g is part of the v i s i t o r e n t e r t a i n m e n t at a n u m b e r of r e s o r t s an d p o n t o o n s . To g i v e an idea of the m a g n i t u d e Of the s i t u a t i o n , p r e l i m i n a r y e s t i m a t e s by Q . N P W S i n d i c a t e that 47 t o n n e s of b r e a d and food s c r a p was fe d to fish by the c o m b i n e d o p e r a t o r s at G r e e n ~sland in 1987 (pets.
comm.,
T. S t e v e n s ) . This may also c o n t r i b u t e to e n h a n c e d n u t r i e n t levels.+
t
I
I
In the same 12 month period from July 1986 to end of June 1987 recreational boating increased between 5% and 7%. Very few of these vessels have holding tanks for wastes.
Most large cruise vessels and cargo ships which transit through the GBR have holding tanks, however, many have limited capacity.
A recent incident in w h i t s u n d a y Passage where a large p a s s e n g e r liner purged its tanks helps to highlight the potential for significant problems.
Wastes are discharged into the Park via rivers or creeks. The expanding population on land adjacent to the GBR has made
disposal of waste increasingly problematic. Many of the population eentres on the North Queensland coastline are
presently incapable of suitably handling the volume of human and i n d u s t r i a l waste generated. Many of these wastes are high in nutrients and usually discharge indirectly via creeks and coastal waters into the Marine Park.
Wastes that are typically high in nitrogen and/or phosphorus and are generated adjacent to the Marine Park are domestic
sewage,those generated by feedlots, fertiliser production a n d use in agriculture, meat processing, milk processing, and c o m m e r c i a l launderies-
Run-off and groundwater from agricultural areas can contain very high leyels of nutrients either from fertilisers or d e c o m p o s i n g matter. It is possible that nutrient rich discharges to the Marine Park will increase with the onset of the wet season in northern regions, p a r t i c u l a r l y in those areas that have been subject to drought or cyclonic events.
In addition, with the expansion of the mariculture industry, one might speculate that the use of high protein feeds could add to
nutrient levels in receiving waters.
Many would a r g u e t h a t the level of dilution of all these wastes in receiving waters should be high enough to raise little
concern. T h e r e m a y however be some cause for debate on this issue.
L E G I S L A T I V E M A N D A T E F O R G R E A T B A R R I E R R E E F M A R I N E P A R K
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 Section 66(2)(e) provides for the regulation or prohibition of acts (whether in
the Marine Park or elsewhere) which may pollute water in a manner h a r m f u l to animals and plants in the Marine Park.
The R e g u l a t i o n s , drafted in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the Act, specify that the written permission of the Authority is required prior to
d i s c h a r g i n g or depositing "household, industrial or commercial waste in the Marine Park", with the following exceptions:
a) where a zoning Plan provides for the Zone to be used or entered for that purpose;
-7-
b) the d i s c h a r g e of h u m a n W a s t e from a v e s s e l or
a i r c r a f t w h i c h ' d o e s not c o n t a i n a s t o r a g e tank of a k i n d d e s i g n e d for the s t o r a g e of h u m a n w a s t e ;
c) o f f a l from fish c a u g h t in the M a r i n e Park;
d) o t h e r b i o d e g r a d a b l e w a s t e from a v e s s e l or a i r c r a f t w h i c h is more than 500 m e t r e s s e a w a r d from the
s e a w a r d edge of a reef.
The p r o v i s i o n that s o u r c e s of p o l l u t i o n "in the M a r i n e Park or e l s e w h e r e " m a y n e e d to be c o n s i d e r e d , is of p a r t i c u l a r
s i g n i f i c a n c e as it is one of the few p r o v i s i o n s of the A c t r e l a t i n g to m a n a g e m e n t o f ' a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h are not e n t i r e l y w i t h i n the b o u n d a r i e s of the M a r i n e P a r k .
In all n o r m a l c i r c u m s t a n c e s the A u t h o r i t y w o u l d not seek to u s e this r e g u l a t o r y m e c h a n i s m but i n s t e a d w o u l d p r e f e r to c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h o t h e r r e l e v a n t a g e n c i e s to a c h i e v e a c o m m o n goal of
p r o t e c t i o n of the e n v i r o n m e n t . O t h e r l e g i s l a t i v e c o n t r o l s r e l e v a n t to w a s t e d i s c h a r g e in the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef R e g i o n i n c l u d e :
a) Q u e e n s l a n d C l e a n W a t e r s A c t 1971
A d m i n i s t e r e d by the W a t e r Q u a l i t y C o u n c i l of Q u e e n s l a n d , the p r o v i s i o n s of this act r e g u l a t e d i s c h a r g e s w h i c h are l i k e l y to c a u s e d a m a g e to the e n v i r o n m e n t of the t e r r i t o r i a l w a t e r s of the S t a t e of Q u e e n s l a n d .
b) C o m m o n w e a l t h E n v i r o n m e n t P r o t e c t i o n (Sea D u m p i n g ) A c t 1981 A d m i n i s t e r 4 d by the D e p a r t m e n t of the Arts, Sport, the
E n v i r o n m e n t , T o u r i s m and the T e r r i t o r i e s , this l e g i s l a t i o n
r e g u l a t e s , a m o n g s t other things, the d u m p i n g of w a s t e s and o t h e r m a t t e r f r o m v e s s e l s , a i r c r a f t and s t r u c t u r e s into A u s t r a l i a n w a t e r s . For the p u r p o s e s of this A c t d u m p i n g does not i n c l u d e d i s c h a r g e of h u m a n w a s t e from a vessel, a i r c r a f t or s t r u c t u r e w h e r e that a c t i v i t y is i n c i d e n t a l to n o r m a l o p e r a t i o n s .
c ) C o m m o n w e a l t h P r o t e c t i o n of the Sea L e g i s l a t i o n A m e n d m e n t A c t 1986
T h i s l e g i s l a t i o n will give force to A n n e x IV of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n v e n t i o n for the P r e v e n t i o n of P o l l u t i o n from Ships. A n n e x I V p r o p o s e s the i n t r o d u c t i o n of a r e q u i r e m e n t for ships of 200 t o n s g r o s s tonnage and ships w h i c h are c e r t i f i e d to c a r r y m o r e than i0 p e r s o n s to have h o l d i n g tanks for w a s t e s and to d i s c h a r g e w a s t e s o n l y o u t s i d e of the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef Region, for e x a m p l e ,
t h r o u g h a f a c i l i t y at a port. This A c t will only take e f f e c t once the A n n e x has been r a t i f i e d b y 50% of n a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t i n g 50% of w o r l d s h i p p i n g tonnage; e x p e c t e d to take s e v e r a l m o r e years.
The i m p a c t of the litter l e g i s l a t i o n , w h e n and if it comes into effect, will be s i g n i f i c a n t , not just for s h i p - o w n e r s , but a l s o for c o a s t a l c o m m u n i t i e s w h i c h m a y need to p r o v i d e sewage
t r e a t m e n t f a c i l i t i e s for more than just a local p o p u l a t i o n . Like the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef M a r i n e Park l e g i s l a t i o n , the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of the above A c t s relies p r i n c i p a l l y on the
r e g u l a t i o n of w a s t e d i s c h a r g e s t h r o u g h p e r m i t s or l i c e n c i n g . It is p e r h a p s the common o b j e c t i v e s of the l e g i s l a t i o n and a s i m i l a r a p p r o a c h to r e g u l a t i o n w h i c h has r e s u l t e d in the close l i a i s o n and c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n staff of each of the v a r i o u s a g e n c i e s . N E E D F O R A G E N C Y L I A I S O N
The c o o p e r a t i v e a p p r o a c h a d o p t e d b y the v a r i o u s a g e n c i e s is p e r h a p s b e s t i l l u s t r a t e d b y the example of the Four S e a s o n s
F l o a t i n g Hotel. The H o t e l itself is to be l o c a t e d at J o h n B r e w e r Reef, in C o m m o n w e a l t h w a t e r s b e y o n d the three mile t e r r i t o r i a l sea. It will cater for a b o u t 450 to 500 guests, staff and d a y v i s i t o r s . W a s t e s , o t h e r than d i s c h a r g e bf h y p e r s a l i n e w a t e r f r o m
the w a t e r d e s a l i n a t i o n plants, are not to be r e l e a s e d into the J o h n B r e w e r Reef lagoon. The p r o p o s a l is to c a r r y out s e c o n d a r y t r e a t m e n t of w a s t e s on site, i n c i n e r a t i n g sludge and t r a n s p o r t i n g the t r e a t e d e f f l u e n t by b a r g e to a d u m p site o u t s i d e of the J o h n B r e w e r Reef lagoon. The d e v e l o p e r is also r e q u i r e d to m o n i t o r e f f l u e n t d i s c h a r g e a n d impact on the reef t h r o u g h an
E n v i r o n m e n t a l M o n i t o r i n g P r o g r a m a p p r o v e d by the M a r i n e Park A u t h o r i t y .
AS t h e p r i n c i p l e a g e n c y r e s p o n s i b l e for a p p r o v i n g the o p e r a t i o n of the F l o a t i n g Hotel, the A u t h o r i t y has b e e n r e q u i r e d to
c o n s i d e r all a s p e c t s of w a s t e disposal, i n c l u d i n g the t r e a t m e n t m e t h o d s , p r o p o s e d s t a n d a r d s and the means and l o c a t i o n s for
d i s p o s i n g of the t r e a t e d wastes, in c a r r y i n g out this r e v i e w t h e A u t h o r i t y has sought and r e c e i v e d e x t e n s i v e a d v i c e from s t a f f of
the Q u e e n s l a n d W a t e r Q u a l i t y Council, the C o m m o n w e a l t h D e p a r t m e n t of the Arts, Sport, the E n v i r o n m e n t , T o u r i s m and T e r r i t o r i e s , o c e a n o g r a p h e r s and v a r i o u s other scientists.
T H E F U T U R E
TO d a t e this A u t h o r i t y has f o c u s s e d o n the r e g u l a t i o n of
d i s c h a r g e s from i d e n t i f i a b l e p o i n t sources. S t a n d a r d s a d o p t e d h a v e g e n e r a l l y been those a p p l i e d to waste d i s c h a r g e d in
Q u e e n s l a n d waters, in most cases e q u i v a l e n t to s e c o n d a r y
t r e a t m e n t . The p r o b l e m s to be faced in the future are far m o r e c o m p l e x and must c o n s i d e r such m a t t e r s as n o n - p o i n t source
d i s c h a r g e s , from land run-off, g r o u n d w a t e r , and d i s c h a r g e s into a d j a c e n t w a t e r s not w i t h i n the M a r i n e Park. In a d d i t i o n ,
d i s c h a r g e s from vessels, both those t r a n s i t i n g the M a r i n e P a r k and those o p e r a t i n g r e g u l a r l y w i t h i n t h e w a t e r s of the Park m u s t be c o n s i d e r e d . It is h o p e d that this w o r k s h o p will p r o v i d e
g u i d a n c e to the A u t h o r i t y w i t h regard to both the t h r e s h o l d or c r i t i c a l levels for n u t r i e n t s in GBR w a t e r s and a p p r o p r i a t e m a n a g e m e n t of s o u r c e s of those n u t r i e n t s .
The A u t h o r i t y has as one of its aims, "to p r o t e c t the n a t u r a l q u a l i t i e s of the Reef, w h i l s t p r o v i d i n g for r e a s o n a b l e use of t h e R e e f ' s resources".
_99
R e c e n t s u r v e y s of t o u r i s t s , a n d d i v e r s in p a r t i c u l a r , h a v e i n d i c a t e d t h a t B a r r i e r R e e f w a t e r q u a l i t y and m a r i n e l i f e a r e i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e s for m o s t t o u r i s t s (Pearce, 1987).
It w o u l d n o t be d i f f i c u l t t o a r g u e that the n a t u r a l q u a l i t i e s of t h e R e e f w o u l d c o m m a n d a h i g h value. In fact,, the e c o n o m i c v a l u e of t o u r i s m , 'for e x a m p l e , to the R e e f R e g i o n m e a s u r e d as g r o s s o u t p u t is a r o u n d $220 mil.lion per annum. T h i s v a l u e is
i n c r e a s i n g in real t e r m s by 10% per annum. (Driml, 1987). T h i s - f i g u r e r e p r e s e n t s s t r i c t l y t h a t e x P e n d i t u r e i n v o l v e d in v i s i t i n g
the o f f s h o r e i s l a n d s a n d reefs.
It is the i n t e n t i o n t h a t this w o r k s h o p w i l l f u n c t i o n to e n l i g h t e n P a r k m a n a g e r s on the d i r e c t i o n we s h o u l d take in r e g a r d to
n u t r i e n t s .
W e n e e d to k n o w m o r e a b o u t the e f f e c t s of e n h a n c e d n u t r i e n t l e v e l s on G r e a t Barrier~ R e e f biota.
w e n e e d to c o n s i d e r a c c e p t a b l e l e v e l s for w a s t e d i s c h a r g e a n d c o a s t a l r u n - o f f in the M a r i n e Park a n d to d e t e r m i n e m a n a g e m e n t s t r a t e g i e s to a c h i e v e t h o s e l e v e l s .
W e m'ay n e e d to c o n s i d e r i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of a m o n i t o r i n g p r o g r a m m e a n d s e l e c t a p p r o p r i a t e c o m p o n e n t s .
A n y such p r o g r a m m e w i l l h a v e t o b e i m p l e m e n t e d w i t h l i m i t e d
r e s o u r c e s a n d m u s t be "spot-on". to r e d u c e s c i e n t i f i c u n c e r t a i n t y . to the p o i n t w h e r e a m a n a g e m e n t s o l u t i o n is clear. It m u s t a l s o p r o v i d e r e s u l t s in time to e n a b l e m a n a g e m e n t to take a c t i o n t'o p r e v e n t d e t r i m e n t a l i m p a c t s .
By c o n c e n t r a t i n g on the c o n d i t i o n s that m a n a g e r s are a t t e m p t i n g to m a i n t a i n in a p a r k a n d t h a t u s e r s e x p e c t , the c e n t r a l q u e s t i o n for r e s o u r c e m a n a g e r s s h o u l d be "How m u c h c h a n g e is a c c e p t a b l e ' i n ' the m a r i n e e n v i r o n m e n t ? " . A n d then, " H o w do we m a i n t a i n the
q u a l i t y that is d e s i r e d ? " .
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I
R E F E R E N C E S
A u s t r a l i a n E n v i r o n m e n t C o u n c i l , 1987. Nutrientsl in A u s t r a l i a n W a t e r s . AEC R e p o r t No. ~ 9 . Dept. of Arts, H e r i t a g e and E n v i r o n m e n t , C a n b e r r a .
Driml, S.M., 1987. G r e a t B a r r i e r 9 T o u r i s m : A R e v i e w of V i s i t o r Use. G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef M a r i n e Park A u t h o r i t y , T o w n s v i l l e .
Dutton, I.M. (ed.), 1985. W o r k s h o p on C o n t a m i n a n t s in W a t e r s of the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef. G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef M a r i n e Park A u t h o r i t y , T o w n s v i l l e .
G r e e n f i e l d , P., P. Bell, D. C 0 n n e l l ~ D. Hawker, 1987. R e p o r t to the G r e a t Barrier 9 Reef M a r i n e Park A u t h o r i t y : G u i d e l i n e s for 9 M a n a g e m e n t of W a s t e D i s c h a r g e s into the G r e a t B a r r i e r Reef
M a r i n e Park. U n p u b l i s h e d report.
o f f i c e of T e c h n o l o g y A s s e s s m e n t , 9 1987. W a s t e s 9 in M a r i n e
E n v i r o n m e n t s . C o n g r e s s of the U n i t e d States, W a s h i n g t o n . P a s t o r a k , R. A. and G. R. B i l y a r d , 1985. E f f e c t s of S e w a g e
P o l l u t i o n o n C o r a l - r e e f C o m m u n i t i e s . M a r i n e E c o l o g y - P r o g r e s s Series. vol. 21: 175-189.
Pearce, P. and G. M. M o s c a r d o , 1987. S t u d y of the S o c i a l I m p a c t of T o u r i s t B o a t s and F a c i l i t i e s on E x i s t i n g U s e r s of N o r m a n R e e f . U n p u b l i s h e d report.
