RAID’s Col McKenzie Announced As World Environment Day Awards Finalist

The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) has informed RAID that one of their Executive Directors, Mr Col McKenzie – also of RAID Asia – has been selected in the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards in the Individual Category.

Mr McKenzie is one of four finalists in the Individual Category which recognises significant environmental achievement over many years. “Mr McKenzie has been the driving force behind the Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) since 1998 and has successfully lobbied for millions of dollars to help control the pest and to protect the Great Barrier Reef (GBR),” said Mr Baker, the Chair of AMPTO. The Crown of Thorns has contributed to approximately 50% of the live coral loss on the GBR and not only reduce the live coral, but also effect the whole coral ecosystem.  Mr McKenzie was working effectively in this space for years before becoming the Executive Director of AMPTO and he has a history of environmental activity. He has worked very hard on environmental issues over many years.”

Mr McKenzie’s consulting company, Gempearl, was also one of the first companies in Far North Queensland to be carbon neutral.  He was one of just a handful of Far North Queensland people to do the Al Gore “An Inconvenient Truth” presentation training and did presentations in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

During the rezoning of the GBR 12 years ago, Mr McKenzie was the marine tourism industry’s public face and even received death threats for taking the stance that increasing the “no-take” zones from 4.7% to 33% was the right thing to do. Furthermore, last year Mr McKenzie headed up the court challenge by the marine tourism industry against the dumping of dredge spoil on the GBR. Legislation was passed only this month in the Australian Federal Parliament to stop dredge spoil dumping.

The health of the GBR has been much maligned in the last 12 months and it is the activities of people like Mr McKenzie that will help determine the GBR’s future and ongoing health.