Environment Minister David Kemp hailed the adoption by the Senate late Wednesday of an ambitious zoning plan for the reef as one of the most important recent conservation moves worldwide.

The plan expands no-fishing zones that currently cover 4.6 percent of the Great Barrier Reef park 33.3 percent of its area and tightents restrictions on shipping through the delicate ecosystem.

"This is an historic moment for the Great Barrier Reef and for Australia," he said in a statement.

"Coral reefs around the world are under rapidly increasing pressure from various aspects of population pressure, and our Great Barrier Reef is no exception," he said.

"The plan puts Australia at the cutting edge of reef protection worldwide."

Kemp said the new legislation was "going to mean healthier corals, it's going to mean bigger fish for tourists to come and see and right through this process we've had the very strong support of the tourism industry."

The Great Barrier Reef stretches over more than 345,000 square kilometers (133,000 sq miles) and includes 2,900 coral reefs, 900 islands and 1,500 fish species.

It is Australia's number one tourist destination, attracting a million visitors a year and generating annual revenues of some 4.5 billion dollars (3.3 billion US), according to Kemp.

Scientists have warned that the reef is under increasing threat from coral bleaching linked to global warming, pollution from shipping, over-fishing and damage caused by chemical run-off from coastal agriculture.

TERRA.WIRE