The Australian Government is providing the Tangaroa Blue Foundation (Foundation) with $3.5 million of funding over 4 years. This will support marine debris removal and prevention activities across the Great Barrier Reef.
Marine debris is one of the key threats facing the Reef. Debris, such as plastics, can:
- threaten the biodiversity of the Reef
- impact on its tourism appeal
- be fatal for its marine life.
The Foundation will use this funding to continue to deliver their ReefClean program for another 3.5 years.
"Marine debris is a significant risk to the Great Barrier Reef's ecosystem but the Government's ongoing commitment to tackling this issue is having a significant impact," says Tangaroa Blue Foundation CEO, Heidi Tait.
Since 2019, the ReefClean program has:
- delivered hundreds of community clean ups
- delivered source reduction programs
- collected and recorded more than 120 tonnes of marine debris.
The Foundation were found successful through the competitive Great Barrier Reef Marine Debris Management and Mitigation grant round.
