Environmental protection and associated programs continue to sit on the priority list for government agencies both in their day to day operations and with respect to the properties they maintain. Agencies such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority hold particular responsibilities to lead a global effort to preserve and protect one of the planet’s most significant natural wonders, The Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBR) holds approximately 1050 islands, comprising coral cays, continental islands, and mangrove islands. These islands support unique assemblages of flora and fauna, including more than 200 bird species and important nesting sites for marine turtles. Several species of terrestrial flora are endemic to GBR islands. Some habitats are largely confined to islands, and provide important nesting habitat for seabirds.

This week we look at an opportunity to  Analyse active and potential threats to island ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef. This Request for Tender (RFT) represents Phase 1 of a 2 Phase project where Phase 1 is to undertake threat assessments to the island and Phase 2 is to deliver detailed design and implementation of priority on-ground interventions, and initiate a long term maintenance and monitoring program for the reef.

The Project aims to assess and where required mitigate threats to specific island vegetation communities within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area in order to maintain or increase their resilience. The Project comprises two components which each have two objectives:

Component 1: Islands with Active Threats:
– assess active threats to one or more Reef island vegetation communities/habitats; and,
– where required and feasible, design, implement, and monitor intervention activities to minimise the impact of these threats for at least one island or island group in the long-term.

Component 2: Northern GBR Islands with Pisonia
– detect and assess threats to Pisonia Grandis forests and communities at GBR islands north of Townsville; and,

– where required and feasible, design, implement, and monitor intervention activities to minimise the impact of these threats for at least one island or island group in the long-term.

The Reef Authority will be conducting an industry briefing for this procurement on Thursday 8 September 2022 at 10:30am Qld time via Zoom. This RFT will close on 6 October 2022.

If you are after further advice on this topic or any opportunity listed below, feel free to contact us. You can also subscribe to this newsletter for regular weekly updates.