Environmental degradation of Townsville coast and coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia – findings and solutions

Abstract

The degradation of the Townsville coast and coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ecosystem is severe. It involves, among several other symptoms, a large dam that traps riverine sand, land reclamation, extensive dredging, dumping of 400,000 m3/year of unconsolidated mud in coastal water, severe coastal erosion, sandy beaches turning muddy, healthy coral reefs turning to coral rubble, the decrease of water clarity of waters by 87 % since the 1960s, and a decrease of 80 % of the dugong population from 2016 to 2022. It is shown that this degradation is largely due to human activities on land and at sea. Climate change occurred later and is likely to impact mud and sand transport in the future. The degradation is still increasing because the management decisions suffer from the shifting baseline syndrome. For sustainable management, a holistic, ecohydrology-based approach is needed. It must involve all stakeholders and integrates hydrotechnical, biophysical and social approaches over the whole watershed including Magnetic Island, and all coastal waters. Several such solutions are proposed. These solutions may be applicable to all Queensland ports facing the Great Barrier Reef, as they all suffer from similar issues to various degrees.