The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) rezoning over the period 1999-2004 provides a valuable case study of effective environmental policy reform. Such real-world examples of policy reform at an ecosystem-wide scale are rare, and there were no precedents for this complex policy process. Nevertheless, a successful and transformative policy reform was achieved for the entire GBR, an area equivalent in size to Japan or Italy. The policy process involved a wide range of players including three levels of government, a variety of industries whose livelihoods depended on the GBR, and a diverse group of concerned stakeholders and Traditional Owners.
In his post-career PhD, Jon Day analysed the factors that led to the success of the rezoning and the resulting Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003. Jon conducted a range of interviews with the players involved and used his observations as a participant in the rezoning (which led to some challenges as an ‘inside-researcher’) to demonstrate that the four most relevant factors were:
- sound scientific underpinning
- effective leadership
- comprehensive public engagement
- political capital
The significance of any of the above four factors in isolation is not new. Jon’s research, however, investigated the importance, and the interdependence between and within the factors, to a level seldom undertaken in other analyses of environmental policy reform. Other factors were also identified, such as sound institutional support, commitment/passion, trust, and luck, but these were less influential than the four factors above.
‘The overall conclusion … was that the four key factors were significant … however, the four factors were not equivalent in their influence. The political factor was shown to be the most significant because the policy would not have been approved without strong political support, and this support in turn depended upon each of the other three factors. Furthermore, gaining the support of politicians was particularly complex. … the role of science in the policy process was found to be less influential than is commonly assumed by many scientists and environmental managers’. (excerpt from PhD abstract)
This research (available at https://doi.org/10.25903/afyp-6s09) provides a comprehensive analysis of the integrated policy reform. As a conservation planning process, the GBR rezoning today still remains widely regarded, and provides lessons for other complex, extensive, and multiple-use environmental challenges.
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Effective integration and integrative capacity in marine spatial planning
