Fury over blasting plan near Great Barrier Reef
A plan to use seismic blasting to search for oil near the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia has been criticised by environmental groups.
The Australian Conservation Foundation says the plans will devastate marine life in one of the world's most important nature reserves.
The TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company has applied for permission to use seismic blasts to survey for oil in an area about 30 miles from the Great Barrier Reef marine park boundary.
Environmental groups called on the Australian government to give an "immediate and ironclad commitment" that it will prohibit all oil exploration and production in the area.
"The Great Barrier Reef harbours some of the world's richest and most diverse marine ecosystems which could be devastated by seismic blasts and oil spills," says Don Henry, executive director of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
The 1,200-mile Great Barrier Reef is the largest complex of coral reefs and islands in the world, comprising more than 2,600 individual reefs and some 300 islands off Australia's east coast.
