OZ to Ban Dredge Waste Dumping on Barrier Reef
15 Nov 2014 5:14 AM IST
Australia said on Thursday it will ban the dumping of dredging waste on most of the Great Barrier Reef in a move welcomed by environmentalists as a first step towards a total halt.The plan, announced by Environment Minister Greg Hunt at the once-a-decade World Parks Congress in Sydney, came as the Australian government said it would set aside Aus $700,000 (US $610,000) to fund a clean-up of marine debris in the reef area.
A further Aus $6 million in funding was also unveiled by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Thursday to support the sustainable use of Coral Triangle waters by South East Asian countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. Hunt said his government would enshrine in law the ban on the dumping of dredge spoil -- waste material left over from port expansion, digging out harbours, rivers and other waterways -- in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
A further Aus $6 million in funding was also unveiled by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Thursday to support the sustainable use of Coral Triangle waters by South East Asian countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. Hunt said his government would enshrine in law the ban on the dumping of dredge spoil -- waste material left over from port expansion, digging out harbours, rivers and other waterways -- in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Next Story
