Great Barrier Reef may get more protection

BRISBANE, Australia, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The Australian state of Queensland may regulate agricultural runoff to protect the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's great natural wonders.

Anna Bligh, the provincial premier, announced plans Friday for restrictions on fertilizers and pesticides at a summit conference on the reef, The Brisbane Courier-Mail reported. She said a voluntary plan adopted five years ago is not working.

Scientists report that the highest concentration of pollutants is in areas with high levels of agricultural runoff, Bligh said.

The Great Barrier Reef runs 1,600 miles along the Queensland coast and includes 2,900 reefs and 900 islands, making it the world's largest coral reef system.

While Bligh called on farmers to join in an effort to draw up a workable plan, John Cherry of the Queensland Farmers' Federation said fertilizer use had dropped 20 percent under the voluntary plan and was on track to fall even further.

"But you pick a fight, you destroy goodwill and those sorts of achievements are less achievable," he said.