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Three million cubic metres of spoil must be dredged as part of the project at Bowen in North Queensland green-lighted by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt last month.
Scientists and conservation lobbyists had urged the Authority to reject the expansion, with 233 signing a letter to chairman Russell Reichelt that said: "The best available science makes it very clear that expansion of the port at Abbot Point will have detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Sediment from dredging can smother corals and seagrasses and expose them to poisons and elevated nutrients."
Greenpeace warns that any dumping of dredge spoil on the World Heritage-listed reef will be an "international embarrassment" and akin to "dumping rubbish in the Grand Canyon".
"We wouldn't throw rubbish on World Heritage sites like the Grand Canyon or the Vatican City, so why would we dump on the reef?" spokeswoman Louise Matthiesson said.
"Scientists are clear that the potential impacts of dumping the dredge spoil so close to fringing reefs and the WWII Catalina plane wreck are significant."
The reef already faced pressures from climate change, land-based pollution and crown of thorns starfish outbreaks, she added.
ABC
brandiwine14
Oh how shameful, this is terrible news.
It is really sad what those in charge will and are doing to our planet, all life on the planet and it's resources, there will come a point when the earth is too far gone and than what?
Could there be anything done to stop this? To preserve the reefs? If the scientists are saying it is liekly to cause serious damage to the reef and all life in and around it, than why is this allowed to happen
edit on 2-2-2014 by brandiwine14 because: (no reason given)