CANBERRA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has announced a funding boost to protect coastal habitats on the iconic Great Barrier Reef, according to official sources.
The Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, and Nita Green, federal government's Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, on Friday committed 15 million Australian dollars (9.5 million U.S. dollars) for a new program to restore coastal habitats on the world's largest coral reef.
Under the program, projects will be able to apply for funding to rehabilitate and restore seagrass, mangrove, saltmarsh and wetland ecosystems - also known as blue carbon ecosystems because of their ability to improve water quality on the Great Barrier Reef by filtering nutrients and sediments.
"The Great Barrier Reef is one of our most precious natural assets," Plibersek said in a joint statement with Green.
"Blue carbon ecosystems are critical in protecting the Reef from run-off as well as providing important habitat for protected species such as dugongs, migratory shorebirds, and marine turtles."
Projects that aim to rehabilitate previously destroyed coastal ecosystems, boost community participation in protecting the reef and improve the resilience of coastal habitats will be able to apply for up to 2 million Australian dollars (1.2 million U.S. dollars) in funding.
According to a report published by government agency the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in 2021, poor water quality is a major threat to the long-term health of the reef and improving the quality of water that enters the area is critical. ■
