It’s only brief, and rarely spoken about, but for a few days every year, Josh Thomas’ affection for the sunshine state wanes, just slightly.

And understandably so.

State of Origin can be a torrid time for the New South Welshmen/women of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, none more than the CEO, who spent his formative years south of the border. 

“I’m from Wagga in country New South Wales so I am a Blues supporter,” Josh says. 

“And I suffer the slings and arrows around this time every year here in North Queensland!” In a somewhat ironic twist of fate however, it was growing up in the Riverina and subsequently Canberra that would eventually lead Josh to his current role with the Reef Authority, following a long apprenticeship in public service, both in Australia and abroad. 

“I’ve always had an interest in government and a real passion for the environment; I studied natural sciences at university in Canberra and moved into the public service where I learned a huge amount about terrestrial and marine policy,” he says. 

“In this role I am lucky enough and in a unique position to combine the two – working in government and public policy to manage and conserve the Reef and it’s something that I, like all my colleagues here at the Reef Authority, certainly don’t take for granted.”

It was a during a visit to North Queensland more than 20 years ago that he first encountered Australia’s greatest natural wonder… and was hooked.

“It’s the first time that you put your head under the water that you realise what a special place it is, and we use that term to describe so many of Australia’s natural landscapes, but there’s just nothing like it anywhere in the world.”

Entering his sixth year as CEO, Josh and his Reef Authority colleagues are now preparing to mark a milestone of a different kind – one that stretches the entire 2300km length of the Marine Park.

July 2024 will mark 20 years since the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 was legislated and became enforceable creating – at the time – the largest protected sea area anywhere in the world.

Zoning is the foundation on which all Reef Authority – and its partners’ – conservation and management activities are built. The analogies are plenty – the Reef’s insurance policy, protection tool, safety net, and so on.

But Josh says at its core zoning is simply a set of user guidelines to protect and preserve one of our most stunning and iconic natural resources.

And as the Reef slowly begins to recover from the fifth major climate-driven bleaching event in the last decade, the zoning plan, and its inherent benefits, are more crucial now than ever before.

“Consider the zoning plan a little bit like a town planning scheme; it simply outlines what you can do and where,” Josh says.

“A planning scheme has commercial districts, residential districts, and public recreation space, and it's not dissimilar in the marine environment. There are places you can and can't fish and other zones that allow you to do different activities. Essentially there's a very prescribed set of rules against each of those. And we (Reef Authority) simply make sure that people are interacting with the Marine Park accordingly.”

And for those who flout the rules in a protected area?

“If you’re poaching from a World Heritage area, and if you break the rules in the Marine Park, you will get caught, it’s as simple as that,” Josh says earnestly.

“We have an incredibly sophisticated compliance team and close partnership with other agencies including Border Force, Maritime Safety Queensland, and Queensland Police, to make sure that we're protecting the Reef in line with the rules that exist for a reason.” 

The zoning reforms, which increased protected areas on the Reef from less than five per cent (5%) to more than 33 per cent (33%) when first introduced, were the culmination of an intense two-year planning period and more than 30,000 public submissions. 

“It was essentially a cross-sectoral effort. And there was a lot of conjecture at the time as to whether it was the right thing to do and there were opposing views on all sides,” Josh says. 

“But the science is undeniably clear, and it is incredibly heartening to see the vision and foresight of our predecessors come to bear, while we continue to strengthen our wider Reef protection and management practises.” 

Coral trout stocks in particular, one of the most popular recreational fishing targets across the entire Reef, have returned to levels not seen for more than 40 years due, in large part, to the introduction of green zones, which provide a sanctuary for trout to increase their reproductive capacity. The fish are larger and produce more offspring which yields a greater supply of baby fish to surrounding fished reefs (blue zones), replenishing fish populations, and enhancing fisheries sustainability. 

Moreover, the increase in predatory fish stocks also correlates directly with significant reductions in the frequency of crown-of-thorn starfish (COTS) outbreaks on green zone reefs. 

A recent study by James Cook University, also shows that partially protected zones, some of which allow restricted activities like spear fishing, can also provide benefits to fish stocks.

In 2005, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority was awarded UNESCO’s Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation, for developing and implementing the Zoning Plan but, Josh says, few realise there is actually a storied history behind the 20-year milestone, stretching back to the original zones of the early 80s.

“Australia has this incredible legacy and performance track record in how we protect the Great Barrier Reef,” he says.

“And at a time when the Reef is facing unprecedented pressure from climate change, the positive effects of zoning are incredibly heartening and testament to our colleagues, partners and Reef users who have made it their life’s work to protect the Reef.”

But there is more work to be done.

“Both the Australian and Queensland Governments, through the Reef Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science and Queensland Department of Environment and Science, continue to assess the effectiveness of Marine Park Zoning in protecting biodiversity, sustainability, and cultural and heritage values,” Josh says.

“This includes working in close partnership with Traditional Owners to ensure their Sea Country is effectively managed in-line with their cultural values which date back for millennia.”

The Great Barrier Reef is unmatched anywhere in the world in terms of its complex biodiversity and stunning natural environments; and over thousands of years has borne witness to ecological shifts that are almost beyond comprehension.

But, like all of us, including a certain representative rugby league team from south of the border, sometimes we need a little help from our friends.