2016 has been a hard year for all of us who care for our big blue backyard.
It feels like, just as the world was
coming together to act on climate change,
we're running the other way.
But even in the darkest depths,
there is light.
When our backs are against the wall we fight hardest.
And one thing we can say,
is when we fight, we win.
For over 50 years we have guarded our amazing oceans.
Back in 1967 our Reef faced a major threat.
Miners were applying to mine coral at Ellison Reef, in North Queensland. Oil and gas exploration was close behind.
We were marine scientists and ocean lovers, faced with seemingly unstoppable mining giants - bearing down on one of our most precious ocean treasures.
We said no.
We formed a coalition of people from all walks of life, determined to fight the mining giants. We led one of the largest public environmental campaigns in Australia’s history.
And we won.
The Australian government established the Great Barrier Marine Park in 1975, and banned oil and gas development on the Reef.
And in 1981, we got the Reef listed as World Heritage.
We said no to the mining giants. As a movement of ocean lovers, we had a vision for our Reef, and governments listened.
We saved our Reef.
And we didn't stop there.
With you, we have won so much for our oceans in 2016.
Thousands of you supported "The Kimberley - Like Nowhere Else" Alliance and the unstoppable campaign to protect the whole Kimberley coast. You wrote tens of thousands of submissions to the WA Government.
As a result, the WA Government announced a new Yawuru Nagulagun/Roebuck Bay Marine Park in October, Lalang-Garram Horizontal Falls Marine Park in November, and a new North Kimberley Marine Park in December.
Nice work, ocean lovers.
When BP announced plans to drill for oil and gas in the Great Australian Bight, thousands of you called for the Australian Government to reject BP's request. We generated a media storm and with the Great Australian Bight Alliance we showed the world Australia doesn’t want more dangerous oil and gas mining in our ocean backyard!
Because of you, BP announced in October they will abandon plans for the Bight.
We took on a huge multinational company, and we won!
The Geelong Star Super Trawler arrived in 2015, threatening our fisheries and killing protected dolphins and seals in their nets. With your outrage and your support, we kept up the pressure in the media through the Stop The Trawler Alliance - saying no to super trawlers.
Last month the Geelong Star announced it would leave Australian waters for good. Now it's time to ban all super trawlers.
In the Northern Territory, you made protecting one of the last intact tropical marine ecosystems a defining election issue. Hundreds of you emailed your local candidates, signed postcards, ran stalls and went letterboxing.
Because of you, almost all major parties committed to a coastal and marine plan - and the new Labor Government has committed to act.
We supported the Australian Government to fight lethal "scientific" whaling, sending our Director Darren Kindleysides to the International Whaling Commission meeting in Slovenia to fight.
Working together with other nations, Australia secured stronger restrictions on whaling. We made it harder to conduct whaling in the name of science.
And we'll keep fighting until we end it once and for all.
Plastic is killing our oceans. We asked you to help us say NO to plastic bags and YES to container deposit schemes. And you did it! Thousands of you sent emails to State Environment Ministers, piling on the pressure.
And they listened.
NSW, QLD and WA announced new Container Deposit Schemes.
Queensland has committed to ban the bag - leaving just NSW, Victoria and WA still to go.
Momentum is building.
More Australians every year join the fight to save our Reef and protect our oceans.
We need every one of you for the big fights ahead in 2017.
Protecting our
World Leading
Marine Sanctuaries
The Abbott Government suspended our world first national network of marine sanctuaries.
They brought decades of bipartisan work to a crashing halt.
In 2017 the Federal Government will be finishing their review of our suspended sanctuaries. We must make sure they don’t undo over 10 years of work spent creating a network of marine sanctuaries that is the envy of the world.
We’ll need you with us, showing the Government we want our vital marine sanctuaries protected.
Stopping Lethal Shark Control
It’s time to end the indiscriminate harm caused by Shark Nets.
The NSW Government will be rolling out up to 10 new shark nets in 2017, and in QLD nets continue to threaten migrating whales and other marine life.
Hundreds have signed petitions calling on the NSW Government to end lethal shark control and invest in humane solutions, and hundreds turned out to rallies in December.
We’re counting on your support when we step up the fight.
Fighting For Our Reef
Our precious Reef can’t afford more pollution.
We won't stand by and let another mining giant threaten our Reef with its carbon-bomb mine and even more dredging.
We won’t stand by and let Adani open a massive new coal mine, undermining the world’s work to put the brakes on climate change.
The government has taken away our right to object in court. They've fast tracked approvals, and they’ve set aside $1 billion dollars of OUR TAXES for a rail line to supply hundreds of coal ships running through our Reef.
we’ve had this fight before, and we’ve won.
With you we’re building momentum the likes of which Australia has never seen.
From the tourism operators and businesses standing up in the Whitsundays
To the thousands signing petitions and calling governments to oppose this development…
We're saying No.
We’ve achieved such amazing things this year.
With you, we’re going to win many more battles to come.
Without you, none of this is possible.
From the volunteers and staff of Australian Marine Conservation Society,
P.S. We're in for one of our biggest fights of our lives next year.
Join us as a Sea Guardian and put wind in our sails.
