LMAC leaders provide feedback on local issues

EADERS of community groups adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef have met for the first time to provide feedback on local marine issues to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

The volunteers are all members of Local Marine Advisory Committees, which were established by the GBRMPA last year to provide a two-way interface with communities to address matters of concern in the Marine Park.

The meetings held in Townsville over two days discussed forward planning for the next year. The GBRMPA’s directors told the committees about developing projects and the LMAC leaders outlined how they will achieve their own objectives.

Virginia Chadwick, Chair of the GBRMPA, said subjects ranged from the Authority’s Representative Areas Program and Dugong Protection Areas, which encompass the entire Marine Park, to local issues such as a push by the Cooktown LMAC to establish a Marine Parks base in their area.

"The LMACs are critically important to the GBRMPA because they represent their communities and they are able to advise us on issues which affect the marine and coastal environment in their regions," she said.

"LMACs can disseminate information among the communities about topics such as boundary issues and trawl management plans and the GBRMPA can utilise their local expertise to spread in-formation to the communities about what we are doing and why. Equally, we can benefit from the input of local views and advice."

There are nine LMACs in communities adjacent to the Marine Park, at Cooktown, Port Douglas, Cairns, Mission Beach, Hinchinbrook, Townsville, the Whitsundays, Mackay and Gladstone.