Environmental Impact Management at GBRMPA
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The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is managed to ensure
conservation of its natural and cultural values, and to provide for
a range of opportunities for use. Management tools include zoning
and management plans, permitting, impact assessment, monitoring and
policy.
The Environmental Impact Management Unit manages environmental
impact assessment (EIA) and permitting. EIA is defined as
‘the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential
impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs or
legislative actions relative to the physical-chemical, biological,
cultural and socio-economic components of the total environment’.
The thrust of EIA is that balanced decisions regarding the
environment occur in the public interest. The Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) assesses approximately 30 major
projects per year. Current projects include marinas and associated
developments at Hinchinbrook and Keswick Islands, Molongle Creek and
Nelly Bay; dredging and disposal adjacent to the ports at Cairns and
Townsville; sewage discharge in the Whitsunday Islands; and
submarine communication cables and pontoons.
Permits may be defined as ‘a written order giving permission’
and generally include conditions, bonds (money placed in trust to
ensure that works are carried out according to conditions) and
insurance. The permit system helps GBRMPA and the Queensland Parks
and Wildlife Service (QPWS) to reduce impacts on high-usage and
sensitive areas, separate potentially conflicting activities, and
collect data for better management. The Authority issues
approximately 500–800 permits per year with the majority being for
tourism and scientific research. Permits are complex, often require
native title notification and may require four to six months for an
application to be processed. Permits usually require a Permit
Application Assessment Fee and are usually issued for a maximum of
six years. The Authority and QPWS are renewing their permit systems
to make them faster and less complex. Recent changes to management
plans are a part of this process. Our goal is to ‘process 80% of
permits within eight weeks’.
Please do not hesitate to contact the following GBRMPA staff for
information on EIA and permits on +61 7 4750 0700 or visit our
web-site on http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
| Dr Adam Smith |
EIA and permit management |
|
Leigh Grey |
EIA—Far Northern Section |
|
Andrew Costen |
EIA—Cairns Section |
|
Johanna Johnston |
EIA—Central Section |
| Carol Honchin |
EIA—Mackay/Capricorn Section |
|
Kylie Glasgow |
Permits—routine inquiries |
