Climate change 'one of the biggest pressures' on Great Barrier Reef: Plibersek

Climate change is already one of the biggest pressures on the Great Barrier Reef but another "huge pressure" has been the quality of water running off the land into the marine environment, Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek says. The Great Barrier Reef has set a new record for coral recovery, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Research conducted by AIMS highlighted the reefs resilience and ability to recover amidst the constant threat of bleaching. Ms Plibersek praised the findings and the cool change of weather which she says brought about the recovery. "That is fantastic we've had a good year for coral cover," Ms Plibersek told Sky News Australia. "We've had a good year for coral cover because we've had cooler weather, more rain what we know about Australia is our weather is cyclical and soon enough we will have another period where we see pressure on the reef." Read More Our Apps