Assessing the Effects of Sediment Discharge on the Cape Tribulation Fringing Coral Reefs

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Abstract
In 1984, a new road was constructed through the coastal rainforest north of Cape Tribulation in North Queensland. Strong concerns were expressed at the time about the potential effects of runoff from the road on the adjacent fringing reefs which are among the most extensive of their type in Australian waters. Because these reefs lie within the Cairns Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park there was considerable impetus for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act to be invoked in order to protect the reefs. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority responded by developing a comprehensive research and monitoring program to determine what effect (if any) runoff from a new unsealed road through the coastal rain forest between Cape Tribulation and Bloomfield in North Queensland, Australia, has had, or is having on the adjacent fringing coral reefs. This paper describes the complex biophysical and management settings in which the program has been introduced, the program objectives and content, and its importance to management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The approach used and the resultant program are also critically reviewed in terms of their potential application to other coastal management situations.