Australia to scrap dumping plan: report

[SYDNEY] Australia will abandon plans to dump three million cubic metres of dredged sand into the Great Barrier Reef area in its effort to create the world's biggest coal port, the Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday.

The fragile reef, which stretches 2,300 km along Australia's east coast, and sprawls over an area half the size of Texas, was the centrepiece of a campaign by green groups and tour operators opposing the plan.

They feared that dumping soil 25 km from the reef would harm delicate corals and seagrasses and potentially double ship traffic through the area.