Reef scheme must be tried

A PROPOSAL to safeguard corals at a key Great Barrier Reef tourism site must be funded and trialled as a matter of urgency.

Fears of a third coral bleaching event on the Reef make the project by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre a priority.

Some may throw doubts on the venture but anything that can be done to prevent any further coral devastation must be tried.

The Reef is worth $56 billion to the economy and provides tens of thousands of jobs as well as incredible wonderment to visitors.

It’s the linchpin to the tropical north’s tourism and regional economy.

The centre is seeking a multimillion dollar loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to fund the world-first trial to create a “haven” to protect coral from bleaching.

Water-mixing technology invented in Queensland, which is currently in use at the Copperlode Dam near Cairns, will be trialled at Moore Reef.

It uses a solar-powered device resembling a submerged propeller to, mimic natural conditions on the Reef on a windy day, in order to bring cooler water to coral to prevent overheating.

The project is ready to go with the centre’s managing director Sheriden Morris saying it must go ahead this summer.

It won’t be able to save the entire Reef from coral bleaching but would be used on key sites which are popular with tourists.

This is not an optional extra. It is a scheme vital for the Reef’s health.

In the scheme of things $4.5 million is not a lot of money which could be the saviour of sections of the Reef and the tourism industry. Nick Dalton nick.dalton@news.com.au