5.2 Contemporary Management Practices
Contemporary Management Strategies have to deal with the fact that the Great Barrier Reef has a large extent and as a result is used by many people for different purposes. Thus, it cannot use the conventional preservation approach of many land-based national parks.
The following factors influence the contemporary management practices on the Great Barrier Reef:
- the establishment of the world's largest Marine Park in 1975 and a World Heritage Area listing in 1981
- extensive scientific research into all aspects of coral reefs, from the biology and ecology to the impact of humans on the reef and its organisms
- pressure from people who live in coastal areas
- pressure from people using the reef in a variety of ways (from tourism to recreational fishing to commercial fishing).
The Marine Park and World Heritage Area are managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority-an Australian Government statutory authority (i.e. Parliament Made Law Protects it).
The Marine Park Authority uses a number of strategies to manage the ecosystem but predominantly focuses on ZONING as its main management tool.