Staff Papers Collie, T., Bryce, S., Smith, A. and Myers, S. Environmental Impact Assessment in World Heritage Protected areas - a model for success. Presented at: Oz Water Conference, Brisbane, Qld., 8-12 May 2005. Staff Paper 2005-09
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]
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Paper number[t5250]
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Environmental Impact A s s e s s m e n t in World Heritage Protected A r e a s - a rood . for success Troy Collie, Maunsell Australia, Townsvil!e,
[email protected] Sonya Bryce, Maunsell Australia, Townsville,
[email protected] Adam Smith, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority,
[email protected]
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Stefanie Myers,GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority,
[email protected]~ ~ _
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest and most pristine tropical reef env=ronmem =n :--.~:~ the world coRtaining all four of the outstaRding universal values ideRtified for Ratural ~ ~ heritage under its World Heritage listing. The Great Barrier Reef Marine.Park is the largest in the world and it adopts a multiple-use philosophy of balancing reasonable human use, while still ensuring the healthy suwival of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park for future generations. The increasing use and development in and adjacent to the Marine Park and World Heritage Area are critical matters. Policies put in place ensure that natural, cultural and social values are adequately maintained. Key issues are the sustainable management of a large and expansive reef-based tourist industry, commercial and recreational fishing pressures, shipping, urban growth, coastal development, and the downstream effects of land use. The cumulative impacts of all of these trends place critical pressure on management approaches. Sunlover Cruises is a major tourist operator based in Cairns ithat has been issued an approval to install and operate a 'next-generation' tourist pontoon facility at Moore Reef. The pontoon will be known as the Reef Eco Centre, valued at an!estimated $AUD25M, will accommodate up to 1,000 visitors per day. The pontoon will belthe size of a football field at 106m long and 58m wide, over 3 storeys high and a total floorlispace of over 89 hectare. ""i
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A Public Environment Report and environmental management System was submitted to authorities for approval. The role of environmental regulator~; through their planning, assessment and approval functions was critical to the process. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) was instrumental, not only because it had the role to decide the application, but because of its ability to 'partner' with the proponent in order to identify, address and resolve risks and issues of concern. The result was the issue in 2004 of a Marine Parks Permit by the GBRMPA, which was supported with conditions from Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage. This sustainable marine development is not just significant at.a national level, but is also an important milestone globally for natural resource management of marine World Heritage Areas. This paper will consider some of the environmental management features integrated into the development, so that perceived and real risks of environmental harm can be c:\docume ~ 1\adams\locals~ 1\t emp\t5250_ozwater_revc, doc
effectively managed. We also describe the process of consultation and partnership that led to. a successful planning outcome.
Figure 1 - Photomontage of proposed pontoon at Moore Reef (boats in foreground are actual)
INTRODUCTION Sunlover Cruises has recently proposed the replacement of itstourist pontoon at Moore Reef, which is about 27 nautical miles east of Cairns, in North Queensland. The design is known as the Reef Eco Centre with the pontoon planned to have displacement of over 9 000 tonnes. The structure is larger than any other tourism pontoon that exists or has previously been proposed anywhere in the world. :~
The proposed pontoon is intended to replace, the existing pon!oon, and will be moored about 100 m away from the current pontoon site on Moore Reef. Since 1991, Sunlover Cruises has operated within the requirements of day to day Marine Park management in order to present the natural features of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (WHA) and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ('the Marine Park'). The superstructure (to be made of various composite materials) will provide options for recreation, interpretation and relaxation for visitors to provide an experience with a high level of visitor comfort. The proposal was recently subject to environmental impact assessment the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act and the Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act. Permissions from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and Department of Environment & Heritage (formerly EA) were approved (see www.gbrmpa.gov.au to view permit), c:\docume- lkada,ms\locals~1\ternp\t5250_ozwater_revc.doc
The information provided in the PER formed the basis for an impact assessment of the proposal on World Heritage values, prescribed Marine Park uses and the Park's natural, cultural and scientific values. To a large extent, the prescribed uses for the Marine Park in the Cairns Planning Area (South Offshore Cairns sector) are currently stated in the Cairns Area Plan of Management and centre on the management of risks to biophysical aquatic values such as water quality and ecological diversity. However, other world heritage values such as aesthetic and cultural qualities have also to be considered in order to be suitable for approval. RESULTS
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The environmental impact assessment required the examination of all real and perceived environmental risks (note: the . P E R was a 400 page document (http://www.sunlover.com.au/publicenvironmentreport.htm). Only three biophysical environmental risks and management strategies are described in this paper as they relate to aquatic environmental and water cycle management. These elements are pontoon mooring design, the effect of pontoon on coral health and water quality management strategies. Displacement under Wind Loadings
There was concern that .under extreme environmental forces the pontoon may displace onto adjacent reef habitat. The greatest displacement occurred when a cyclone is modelled on-beam and this directed the pontoon away from the reef flat. If cyclonic conditions were to occur that push the pontoon towards the reef flat, the displacement was predicted to be a distance of only 4.4 m on LAT. Figure 2 shows the areas in which parts of each mooring leg may occupy under cyclonic conditions from all wind angles and at HAT. Chains and anchors are designed to counter wind Ioadings on the side of the pontoon's barge and high superstructure. Note also that the angle of the chains, clump weights along the chains and the anchors positions themselves are sited in deep water, in areas devoid of significant coral growths. Where the alignment of the 'legs' from the pontoon to the seabed does intersect coral colonies, suchlsparse colonies (mostly Goniopora) will be relocated to a nearby transplant site. :i :
Effects on Reef Communities
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Environmental management concerns with pontoons include: cyclone resistance and stability; movement of mooring blocks and chains (Kapitze et al 2002); impacts on coral of shading from the pontoon; impacts on diversity and abundance of fish, impacts of visitor numbers and concentrated site use; amenity values of the Marine Park; oil and fuel storage and management; and sewage and wastewater storage and management (GBRMPA, 2004a, b). Moore Reef presents a diversity of coral reef habitats with healthy coral cover. Two main groups of corals may potentially be affected by the replacement pontoon: shallow reef flats used for snorkelling and diving; and deep water benthos which may be affected by pontoon shading and the mooring system. 9
Shallow reef flats The snorkelling area currently used over reef flat would remain in use. An additional snorkelling area is sought, at the nearby bommies .called "City Hall". c:\docume~1\adams~locals-l\temp\t5250_ozwater_revc.doc
Monitoring data indicated that the existing snorkelling area, after 12 years of visitation, is in good health, but subject to natural effects of many mid-shelf reefs, such as bleaching and 'Crown Of Thorns' Starfish. The current snorkelling area has the better cover of live coral than many other similar reef flats on Moore Reef, despite 12 years of use,. and partly as a function of crown of thorns actively removed by a collection program.
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