Estuarine and marine ecosystems assessment summary
State
Key finding — Condition of estuarine ecosystem health
Queensland's estuarine aquatic ecosystems vary significantly in condition. Some are in good to very good condition while others do not meet standards for water quality.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Reef Water Quality report card | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
| Fitzroy Basin report card | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
| Gladstone Harbour report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Mackay–Whitsunday–Isaac report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Wet Tropics Waterways report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Townsville Dry Tropics report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
Key finding — Condition of ecological processes in the Great Barrier Reef
The deteriorating condition of many ecological processes has affected the integrity of the Reef’s outstanding universal value. Ecological processes are expected to continue to decline due to climate change impacts and inshore land-based run-off.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
Key finding — Condition of marine ecosystem health
Queensland’s marine environments vary significantly in condition. Some are in good to very good condition while others do not meet standards for water quality.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Reef Water Quality report card | Trend in report card | see report card | see report card |
| Fitzroy Basin report card | Marine ecosystems not analysed in report card. | n/a | n/a |
| Gladstone Harbour report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Mackay–Whitsunday–Isaac report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Wet Tropics Waterways report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
| Townsville Dry Tropics report card | No overall grade. | n/a | n/a |
Pressure
Key finding — Climate change pressure on the Great Barrier Reef
Climate change is having the greatest impact on the Great Barrier Reef, and the signals of climate change such as increasing water temperatures, are accelerating. Furthermore, climate change will amplify the impacts of other threats.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
Key finding — Coastal development pressure on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem remains vulnerable to the effects of past, current and future coastal development, as well as cumulative impacts.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
Key finding — Direct use pressure on the Great Barrier Reef
The observed impacts from direct commercial and non-commercial use of the Great Barrier Reef are mainly localised. However, collectively, the impacts of this use are obvious (to varying degrees) in many locations. The cumulative effects of extraction and damage to the Great Barrier Reef by direct use, coupled with smaller windows of recovery, are reducing the resilience of the ecosystem.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | Trend in report card | see report card | see report card |
Key finding — Land-based run-off pressure on the Great Barrier Reef
Poor water quality continues to affect inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef. The rate of reduction of pollutant loads has been slow as a result of modest improvements in agricultural land management.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |
Key finding — Crown-of-thorns starfish pressure on the Great Barrier Reef
Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish are ongoing and causing coral decline on the Great Barrier Reef. The underlying causes of outbreaks are multifaceted with no single trigger categorically proven to initiate outbreaks.
Assessment summaries illustrate change from previous report card grades to current report card grades.
| Report card | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report | No change to report card grade | see report card | see report card |