Coral reefs of the Kimberley - a global treasure under threat

Did you know the Kimberley is home to an amazing, ancient fossil coral reef system – the 'Devonian reef' -  near Fitzroy Crossing, which includes the famous Windjana and Geikie gorges? This now 'stranded' coral reef system was formed millions of years ago when the area was under the ocean.

What is only now becoming understood is that today's Kimberley marine environment is home to some of the most diverse and unspoilt tropical coral reef systems in the world.

Scientists have found that the Kimberley marine bioregion is the most coral diverse area of WA, and future research is likely to show that the diversity exceeds even that of the Great Barrier Reef:

"..it is highly likely that further survey will demonstrate that the Kimberley contains a coral reef province of global significance." (Masini et al 2009)

Kimberley coral reef communities are the most diverse in WA, Photo (c) Richard Costin

Kimberley coastal ecosystems are among the least human-impacted in the world, comparable only to areas like the arctic and Antarctic coasts.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of marine protection and management and the industrialisation proposals from multi-national fossil fuel companies - the future for the special Kimberley marine environment is under grave threat.

Kimberley corals - Crucial in a climate changing world

Preliminary analysis of satellite and other imagery shows that the Kimberley rivals the famous Red Sea fringing reefs in terms of extent. The reefs studied to date show the Kimberley has high species diversity that are healthy and are important ‘stepping stones’ maintaining connectivity between the Indo-west Pacific and Australian West coast ecosystems. These characteristics make Kimberley coral reefs crucial to ecosystem health and resilience in the face of climate change.

Kimberley marine environment – as special as the Great Barrier Reef but without the protection!

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is an Australian icon and contributes well in excess of $5 billion per year to the Australian economy via sustainable industries such as tourism and managed fisheries. Scientists, conservationists, tourism operators and others are realising that the Kimberley marine environment is equally special and valuable. In addition to the amazing coral reefs the region is home and nursery to the world’s largest population of humpback whales and thousands of other marine wildlife species.

In the 1970’s Australia said no to oil and gas mining on the Great Barrier Reef, and we have never looked back. The Great Barrier Reef is now protected in one of the largest and best known marine parks in the world.

In stark contrast, currently 0% of the Kimberley’s coastal waters are protected in any form of marine reserve. Threats such as proposals to develop the Browse Basin gas field off the Kimberley coast have the potential to damage this special environment that supports ecosystem health, tourism, pearling and other industry.

Corals under threat

The greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuel industry proposed for the Kimberley marine environment (with onshore processing of gas) would have a wide range of impacts on this area.

Impacts include:

• Pollution from routine spills, regular discharges of oily and contaminated water and gas flaring
• The risk of major accidents e.g. Queensland oil spill, Varanus island major gas explosion (WA), Cyclone Katrina damage and dislodgement of oil platforms, and the environmental and human disasters they can cause.
• Sonic (sound) pollution from blasting, drilling, construction and shipping
• Increased risk of introduced marine pests from international shipping
• Dredging, drilling and pipeline construction stirring up sediment and smothering corals, sea grasses and filter feeding organisms
• Increased risk of boat strike (large tankers and other shipping striking whales, turtles etc.)
  

Other threats to the Kimberley marine environment include:

• Climate change - which will impact on the Kimberley marine environment, ecosystem health is the best way to allow for adaptation
• Unregulated tourism – poor practices such as anchoring on reefs and discarding waste can impact, good management is the solution
• Over-fishing – extensive trawl fisheries and illegal fishing can all have a negative impact, proper management including marine parks is the answer
• Mining – the threat of large scale ore mining projects could mean increased sedimentation from erosion and increased pollution from mines and processing
• Broad scale irrigated agriculture – Dams and excessive water use could impact on rivers and coastal ecosystems as can the increased nutrient load from fertilizers and erosion

Marine Parks – certainty in a changing world

Montgomery reef from the air - one of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world, Photo (c) Murranji Photography

Scientists the world over agree that marine parks are the single most effective way of improving ecosystem health, climate change resilience and protecting biodiversity in the marine environment.

Of course there is no one ‘silver bullet’ for marine protection and improved management and protection outside of parks is important too. With the special Kimberley marine environment currently only home to a few small protected areas far offshore, this situation must be improved.

The Commonwealth government has begun its marine planning process for the waters offshore from the Kimberley. The North-West Bioregional plan will implement some marine parks and management measures in the Commonwealth waters. The Wilderness Society is working to ensure that this process will ensure the best possible outcome for the Kimberley marine environment.

The WA State Government has recently announced the initiation of a ‘Science and Conservation Strategy’ for the Kimberley which will include the marine environment. The 4 year timeframe and lack of commitment to deliverable action are cause for concern that this approach may be ‘too little to late’. The Wilderness Society will be working to convince the State Government to address the lack of marine protection and improve management before it is too late.

What you can do:

1. Learn more, keep up to date with any actions and events  www.wilderness.org.au/Kimberley

2. Sign the online petition: Protect the Kimberley wilderness from industrialistion

3. Read about Woodside's involvement

4. Support our campaign - volunteer to help by contacting the Kimberley Campaigner and donate to The Wilderness Society today.