6 January 2009

Politics Cloud Reef Science

Farming cannot be blamed for recent declines in Great Barrier Reef coral health, according to a new report.


A study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) found that a combination of global warming, ocean acidity levels and decreasing carbonate contents in sea water had caused dramatic declines in coral growth rates across the reef in the past 18 years.


Despite clear findings that farming could not be blamed for this decline, Queensland’s Minister for Natural Resources Craig Wallace paradoxically seized upon the report to justify the Government’s move towards the introduction of increased regulations on farming. The Minister told ABC Radio last Friday that the study justified the Queensland Government’s plans to regulate farming practices adjacent to the reef. “We know we'll have opposition out there from industry groups who don't want to see regulation put in place, but this sobering news today from AIMS shows that drastic action must be taken,” Minister Wallace said.


While farmers are often the first held responsible for declines in reef health, AIMS principal research scientist Dr Katharina Fabrucius told CANEGROWERS this week that farm run-off could not be blamed for the decline. This was because the decline in coral calcification witnessed during the research had happened in off-shore parts of the reef that could not be reached by farm run-off.


“Farm run-off does not extend to offshore reefs, so we don't believe it is a cause for this decline,” Dr Fabrucius said. “Instead, the likely causes are interactive effects between warming oceans and ocean acidification, which are both caused by increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”


Mr Wallace’s response has mystified the CANEGROWERS organisation. “It is like adding an apple to an orange and getting an elephant,” says Ian Ballantyne, CEO of the peak group for sugarcane growers. “The Minister’s comments continue to undermine growers’ confidence in the Government’s objectivity on this matter. It would appear that the State Government is using the emotive subject of reef health as a political pawn to shore up the increasingly important green vote.


“This clouding of scientific facts for political expediency is not acceptable as it confuses the broader community and has the potential to misdirect efforts. Continued ill-informed commentary of this nature is counter to a more harmonious and constructive relationship with the State.


“If the issue is about emissions management and global warming, production of crops including wheat, sugarcane, and cotton among others, in Australia accounts for less than 2% of all emissions. Within that, intensive cropping such as sugarcane is just a fraction. The reality is that regulating farming methods is not going to impact on the amount of carbon dioxide affecting the reef.”


Mr Ballantyne applauded the cooperative and supportive approach taken by the Federal Government through the Reef Rescue Program. “The Reef Rescue program is a partnership which seeks to encourage voluntary uptake of continuous improvement of farming practices including precision farming, which allows farmers to target the precise amount of chemicals and nutrients required by an individual crop, dramatically reducing run-off and the impact of farming activities on waterways and local environments in recent years,” he said.