Background Briefing on Environmental Protection and Development Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area Prepared by the Queensland LNG Industry | May 2013 Contents Purpose 1 Context 2 Key Themes 3 General 3 1. LNG Safety 3 2. Economic Contribution 3 3. Environmental Management 4 4. Environmental Protection and Development 4 5. Gladstone Harbour Historical Context 4 6. Australia’s Exemplary Record on World Heritage 5 7. Fair Treatment of Australia 5 LNG Safety 6 Economic Contribution 8 Environmental Management 9 Environmental Protection and Development 10 Gladstone Harbour Historical Context 11 Australia’s Exemplary Record on World Heritage 12 Fair Treatment of Australia 13 Questions and Answers 15 Contacts BC 142°E 144°E 146°E 148°E 150°E 152°E 154°E S ° 0 1 TORRES STRAIT Ashmore Reef Thursday Island Ja rd in e R iver Jardine River NP River unty lh S u S ° D Cape Grenville ° 2 er 2 1 Riv 1 Olive W enloc k R iv e r Iron Range NP L o ck h a C O R A L S E A r t R i ve r Mungkan Archer Rive Kandju r Great Barrier Reef NP Marine Park KULLA (excludes harbours and islands) (McIlwraith Range) Osprey Reef S er S ° v NPA ° Ri Flinders Group 4 l 4 al 1 Ken d NP 1 r d Rive Holro y Ann r ie R e iver Cape iv R Melville E in dw k ard u r NP R ive r L e iv Cole ma n River R ad he re Lakefield Jack River o Starcke M NP NP NP r Mitchell- e iv COOKTOWN Alice Rivers R a % r C A P E Y O R K u NP a L e Cedar Bay P E N II N S U L A tl it L NP iver r R Palmer Goldfield S me S ° P al RSR ° 6 Daintree 6 1 NP 1 Cape Tribulation Holmes Reef r Mount Windsor ive ll R Mitc h e NP Coringa-Herald Staaten River National Nature Reserve NP CAIRNS Lihou Reef S Hann Tableland taa National Nature Reserve te Walsh n Ri NP R ver ive R r Chillagoe-Mungana Caves e d R i NP ve r T ate r R iver e iv R Flinders Reefs Bulleringa ld i NP W L T yn u E d ll E in y t a R R Carron R h s iver iver e le iv S e S i r r g ° i ° d h 8 g 8 e R 1 R iv 1 iv e Wet Tropics of er r Queensland H Hinchinbrook Island Undara Volcanic erb ert NP Girringun River Kinrara e NP Ya Ro Riv r Palm Island pp be on a r ts NP r R i ver r ive R Marion Reef ng C ni Magnetic Island la G un ra i R R iver lbe r r t River ive TOWNSVILLE Paluma Range R Norm r s % an R ve NP s i o iv e R e rk R r Blackbraes la C Bowling Green Bay NP salt River NP r a e B Bu iv rd r R ek e in v r R i a Great Basalt Wall iv S e S R lg r ° y ° Saxb o r o NP e 0 B v 0 W og i 2 ie 2 R Riv r er n e o iv D R R n Porcupine Gorge Dryander to o t l u l D NP White Mountains C s NP Whitsunday a t C m o NP a p n Group p a B e s R Fli p o nd i w e R e v S e iv rs River n R e iv e e r R l e r lh r e iv im River e r Eungella NP MACKAY % r Homevale Moorrinya e iv NP NP R Di r am S tto Saumarez an u t in Nairana Reef a Swain Reefs R NP iv NP e r Q U E E N S L A N D S Q U E E N S L A N D S ° R ° rs iv o e 2 r 2 Forest Den n 2 Mazeppa n 2 NP o C West NP Great Barrier Reef ern River Marine Park Is a a (excludes harbours and islands) c R Bladensburg iv Edgbaston Station e NP D r ar PA Junee r R en i Cudmore NP k z v Narrien Range c i e a e M r NP NP R iv e r Goodedulla ROCKHAMPTON Capricorn NP % B ogoa R e N iv Group l e r y e r r iv ive Riv a R R ice er n oy M ayn e r l d zr e A o it v r Curtis Island i R F e R B v Goneaway on rumb iv Blackdown Tableland i r s y G e R e m ully v GLADSTONE o r e i % NP h NP e R S T e S D Ca p ° lli o ° Lochern Snake Range 4 4 2 r NP 2 NP ive B o R o Lady Elliot rco y a Minerva Hills n B e C Island NP R er o Kroombit Tops i C Riv m v laude e e NP r Albinia t R Bulburin NP iv K e o r NP la n R er Da i v r w e e Rive B iv v r r s R Welford Idalia i o o N tt N ive Carnarvon w n Bania e Great Sandy R r og rn NP NP go n R o u i R ory e NP R v NP B g R Fraser Island rr i e iv NP i e v r er a ve e G r r W r Great Barrier Reef 0 100 200 km ± Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981 Scale 1:5,000,000 Data Sources : © Commonwealth of Australia, Legend World Heritage Areas. World Heritage Area Boundary Torres Strait Protected Zone Projection : Geographics Datum : Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) Coral Sea Conservation Zone Date : January 2012 World Heritage areas excluded from GBRMP Waterbodies Other WHA Reefs National Park Major roads Commonwealth Marine Reserve Major rivers Purpose This document provides context on environmental protection and development as they relate to the Queensland and Australian economies, the new liquefied natural gas industry and other resource developments in Queensland. Page 1 | Background Briefing on Environmental Protection and Development Context In June 2012, the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) issued a draft report on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The draft report followed a committee inspection in March 2012 of LNG, coal and other developments in the world heritage area. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for the World Heritage Convention, an international treaty aimed at protecting cultural and natural heritage sites of world significance. Committee representatives met Australian and Queensland government officials, Gladstone Ports Corporation, environmental groups and LNG proponents during their March 2012 visit. UNESCO complained that the Australian Government failed to advise it of the approval of LNG developments, and about proposals for up to six coal export terminals on the Queensland coast. UNESCO can, in extreme cases, put world heritage areas on its “List of World Heritage in Danger”. In mid-2012, the World Heritage Committee endorsed the report’s recommendations, which asked the Australian Government to prevent any new port development or associated infrastructure outside existing and long-established major port areas within and next to the reef. The committee noted that Australia had a history of strong management of the reef that was an example to other marine protected areas; that a negative trend in reef water quality had been reduced; and that Australia had effectively tackled threats to the reef. The committee did not seek a cessation of LNG development in Gladstone Harbour but asked for an independent environmental review of the harbour and further water quality research. It also asked Australia to do a strategic assessment of development on Queensland’s coast by 2015. The committee said the reef did not qualify for inclusion on the list of areas in danger though it would reconsider its position in mid-2013 “in the absence of substantial progress” on the issues it raised. In February 2013, the Australian Government told the committee that storm damage, the crown of thorns starfish, climate change, and nutrient run-off from farms were the reef’s key challenges. It also told the committee of its initiatives to improve the reef, including water quality protection, starfish research, new biodiversity zones and reserves, and the introduction of a carbon price.1 Australia’s strategic assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, which was announced in June 2012, is expected to be finished by late 2013. The assessment is led by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Government and will be considered by the Federal Minister for Environment. The independent review of Gladstone Harbour is due to report to the Australian Government by 30 June 2013 and is expected to contribute to the strategic assessment.2 The World Heritage Centre and International Union for the Conservation of Nature noted in their report in May 2013 the outcomes of a number of important scientific and technical reports released during 2012, indicating significant loss of coral cover over the past 27 years resulting mainly from storm damage, climate change effects and crown of thorns starfish and concluding that reducing crown of thorn starfish outbreaks are a key factor in restoring the loss.3 1 http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/gbr/pubs/gbr-state-party-report-2013.pdf 2 http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/gbr/gladstone/index.html 3 UNESCO World Heritage Committee 13/37.COM.7B http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2013/whc13-37com-7B-en.pdf.