O'Connell basin assessment: Mackay-Whitsunday Natural Resource Management region

Abstract

A healthy and resilient Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (the World Heritage Area) is reliant upon the ecological integrity of the adjacent Great Barrier Reef catchment and its coastal ecosystems. The O’Connell basin provides habitat for many important marine, estuarine, freshwater and terrestrial species with lifecycles that have connections to the World Heritage Area. The coastal ecosystems in the basin also provide a range of ecological functions that support the health and resilience of the marine environment. Within the marine environment, coastal waters provide high value marine areas including around islands and inshore coral reefs. To protect representations of these areas, there are many coastal and inshore Marine National Park Zones adjacent to this basin. This Report is part of a series of similar reports investigating the nature, condition, connectivity and management of coastal ecosystems within basins that form the catchment of the World Heritage Area. The purpose of this Report on the O’Connell basin is to: • Review coastal ecosystems in the basin, assess their state and consider the pressures that they are facing now, and into the future. • Understand the connections between coastal ecosystems and the World Heritage Area, and how changes to these connections are impacting on the ecological functions they provide to the Marine Park. • Provide information to support future planning and management decisions, including identifying areas important for protection or potential offsets. • Empower communities and stakeholders by providing information that can support on-ground actions.