RPS assists the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority combat climate change

RPS is assisting the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) incorporate climate change considerations into their environmental approvals and permits.

Climate change was identified in the 2009 Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report as a threat to the Great Barrier Reef. In order to address this threat, the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012 was developed.

The Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) group within the GBRMPA, is responsible for permitting activities in accordance with the Great Barrier Reef Zoning Plan, managing joint permit arrangements with the Queensland Government and implementing policy and plans of management.

The EAM group also provides strategic advice in relation to major projects that cross the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area boundary. The EAM group does not however, have a current policy on how to assess and manage climate change impacts and greenhouse gas emissions.

RPS is assisting the EAM group identify and scope options to manage climate change impacts, both in the form of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, to better protect the Great Barrier Reef and stakeholder interests.

The project will guide the incorporation of climate change management measures into the core business of the EAM group, and lead to Environmental Impact Assessment processes that target climate change adaptation and mitigation.

RPS has also been invited by the GBRMPA to co-author a paper titled: Climate Change, EIA and the Great Barrier Reef for the 2011 International Association for Impact Assessment Conference in Puebla, Mexico.