Australia to scrap plan for dumping near Great Barrier Reef - AFR

- UNDATED FILE PHOTO - A tourist swims on the Great Barrier Reef in this undated file picture. Fishing will be banned from about one third of the Australian reef under a draft rescue plan unveiled by the Australian government May 30. REUTERS/HO/Great Barrier Reef National Park Authority - RTXM0BB

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will abandon plans to dump 3 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 (1,430 miles) 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.