Australia Approves the disposal of sediments on the great barrier reef for expansion of coal Harbour

The authorities of the marine park of the great barrier reef Australia approved the release of up to three billion cubic metres of sediment in the marine reserve of the great barrier reef.

The sediments will come from dredging to expand the Abbot Point port terminal, in the province of Queensland, for the construction of what will be the biggest coal port in the world, referred to Inhabitat. The port, in operation since 1984, is located near the border of Navy great barrier and the aim is to increase to 70 million tons the amount of coal that annually there will pass. Increasing the capacity of the port is expected to create more than 15 thousand jobs and increase profits for up to €2,7 billion (R$8,8 billion).

This decision "can smother the corals and marine plants," Salina Ward, a marine biologist at the University of Queensland and one of 233 scientists who signed a petition against the draft sediment deposition.

The reservation of the great barrier reef is composed of around 3,000 corals and provides habitat for more than 1,600 species of fish, extending over 2,600 kilometres off the coast of Australia. The great barrier was considered a world heritage site by Unesco in 1981. The site concentrates on about 10% of the total existing coral reef on the planet.

Last year, Unesco indicated that it was considering putting the Great Barrier in the list of endangered sites in 2014 due to the threats it faces, ranging from the dredging for the ports of fossil fuels, increasing the movement of ships in the region and the impacts caused by agricultural developments.

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