- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's Summer Snapshot report shows Reef still suffering from climate change despite avoiding mass coral bleaching event
- Extensive flooding has intensified Reef water pollution problem
- Governments must do to help Reef endure extreme events, such as cyclones
- Devastating IMAGES AND FOOTAGE of coral damage from recent cyclones available
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's latest Summer Snapshot report shows the Australian and Queensland governments need to do far more to protect our greatest natural asset from climate change and the increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, cyclones, storms and flooding, the Australian Marine Conservation Society said today.
The Reef Authority's Reef Snapshot: Summer 2025-26, released last night, reveals sea surface temperatures rose above average across the marine park between December and March, triggering significant coral bleaching in the Northern region and localised coral bleaching in parts of the Far Northern, Central and Southern regions.
The Snapshot suggests that two cyclones likely exposed reefs to damaging waves, while the authority's Reef Health Update from April confirms that powerful waves from Cyclone Narelle caused severe coral damage in the Far Northern Region and extending into the Northern Region near Cairns.
Meanwhile, Reef-wide flooding carrying polluted runoff from above-average rainfall has impacted inshore coral reef systems, and two wide-spread crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks are now affecting all regions.
AMCS Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Manager Dr Max Hirschfeld said: "The Great Barrier Reef avoided another mass coral bleaching event after the devastating back-to-back bleaching events of the previous two summers, but there has been no reprieve for the Reef from climate change. It is still suffering significant coral bleaching in the Northern Region and extensive flooding all along the coast has exacerbated the Reef's water pollution crisis.
"The Australian and Queensland governments need to do more to address climate change and must stop approving new fossil fuel developments. The Crisafulli government committed to cutting climate pollution by 75% by 2035, but has not produced any plan on how to reach those targets, while the state's renewable energy target has been dropped and projects that would help cut greenhouse gas pollution are increasingly being blocked or shelved.
"This summer the Reef experienced the fourth consecutive year with above-average rainfall and flooding, flushing more pollutants into the Reef's waters. This time the flooding spread across the entire Reef coast and lasted for three months, rather than just shorter distinct flooding events.
"The Great Barrier Reef has a chronic water pollution problem that we've known about for 40 years.
"Pollutants such as sediment, fertilisers and pesticides impact the growth, reproduction and health of corals and seagrasses when they need all the help they can get to cope with climate change and recover from the increasingly frequent and severe marine heat waves and cyclones. That impacts the fish, dugongs, turtles and other marine life that rely on corals and seagrasses for their survival.
"Water pollution impacts marine life just as humans struggle with smog in the world's most polluted cities. The pollution won't kill you straight away, but you'll cough and splutter, get sick more often and lose years off your life.
"If the Queensland Government is serious about protecting the Reef and the 77,000 jobs it supports, it should be doing everything in its power to tackle local threats, such as water pollution, that are within its control. We need to focus on restoring wetlands that filter pollutants and restoring vegetation along the riverbanks to stop erosion and sediment flowing into the Reef.
"The government plan to reduce water pollution on the Reef has yet to be released, after the previous plan expired in 2022. The Queensland Government must commit to funding the next five-year phase of the State's Reef Water Quality Program and come up with a clear, fully costed plan that shows how it will effectively reduce water pollution. The plan needs a clear investment roadmap and timelines to show how much it will cost, where and how the money will be spent, and when the targets will be met."
Cairns-based diver and AMCS Great Barrier Reef Community Campaigner Tanya Murphy said: "As a diver based in Cairns, it has been devastating to witness the impacts of flooding, coral bleaching and cyclone damage on the Reef this summer.
"I visited one of my favorite snorkel sites near Cairns before and after Cyclone Narelle, and the change to the north-facing side of the fringing reef, which saw the majority of the wave damage, was shocking.
"There was broken coral everywhere, and many of the soft corals were decomposing on the sea floor. On the protected side of the reef, the corals were still standing but many were bleached from a combination of freshwater flood runoff and heat stress. There was also rapid growth of macroalgae covering the reefs due to the nutrients in the floodwater
"The Reef is still incredibly beautiful and well worth visiting but, coming straight after back-to-back mass bleaching events in 2024 and 2025, these impacts are deeply concerning. It means many parts of the Reef are not getting the recovery time they urgently need as climate change drives more severe cyclones, floods, and marine heatwaves.
"Climate modelling indicates there is a high risk of another significant coral bleaching event in Australia next summer, driven by the likely development of a strong El Niño, which can trigger widespread marine heatwaves.
"Coral reefs are just too important to the world's marine life to lose. They comprise just 1% of the ocean area, but are responsible for 25% of the world's marine species. They are the most productive parts of the ocean, like rainforests on land. Australia is custodian of the world's largest reef. We have the Amazon of the oceans in our backyard and we need to treasure it. The Reef is also an economic powerhouse. It contributes $9 billion to our national economy every year and is Australia's fifth biggest employer, supporting 77,000 jobs."
