Australia to provide further fund to protect Great Barrier Reef
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E-mail Xinhua, February 1, 2013
Australian government will provide a boost to the Great Barrier Reef, with increased funding to fight the crown-of-thorns starfish, Environment Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Friday.
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A picture of Great Barrier Reef. [File photo/Baidu] |
"The Gillard government is absolutely committed to protection of the Great Barrier Reef as a top priority," Burke said.
The coral eating crown-of-thorns starfish, which can reach almost one meter in diameter when fully grown and destroy coral faster than it can regenerate, are recognized as a significant threat to the reef.
According to him, an additional 800,000 A.U. dollars (almost 833,320 U.S. dollars) will be provided this financial year, building on the 1.43 million announced last year.
Last year the Gillard government provided 1.43 million to the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators, which has a track record of engaging its members to control crown-of-thorns starfish.
"Under the first round of funding, tourism operations have removed more than 37,500 crown-of-thorn starfish from tourism hotspots around Cairns, Port Douglas and the Whitsundays, restoring the ecological balance and strengthening the resilience of the target areas," Burke said.
The government is also committed to finding innovative, longer- term solutions and will provide 100,000 A.U. dollars to the Australian Institute of Marine Science to undertake studies into the control of crown-of-thorns starfish by single injection.
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