A Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone: A Strategy for Regional Resilience

Dr Keith Noble and Jelenko Dragisic
Regional Science and Environmental Economics, Volume 3, Article 14
Published 11 September 2026

This scholarly article develops the case for aligning the Reef investment with collaborative regional resilience through a Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone. It examines the Reef as ecological infrastructure and considers how regional economic development, nature-positive investment and continuing Reef maintenance could be brought into a more integrated framework.

The paper represents an important development in the Reef Economic Zone project: it brings the proposition into scholarly publication, updates elements of the supporting evidence and places the idea within wider discussions of natural capital, climate adaptation, economic diversification and regional resilience.

Link to the full paper: A Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone: A Strategy for Regional Resilience

A Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone: A strategy for regional resilience: VIDEO

Collaboration strategist Jelenko Dragisic and sustainable development advocate Dr Keith Noble address critical questions: • How does a systemic approach to resilience support circular economy efforts in the region? • How can circular economy strategies ensure a resilient reef and strong regional economy? • What role does cross-sector collaboration play, and how do we initiate it?

Watch Dr Keith Noble presentation in this video: A Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone: A strategy for regional resilience | Noble

A strategy for regional resilience and circularity

The Great Barrier Reef’s future is both an environmental and economic priority. With 1.2 million residents in the reef region, its health directly impacts local communities and economies. However, current strategies often separate environmental concerns from economic and social realities.

The Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone aims to integrate these aspects, viewing reef management as part of a system where economic resilience, ecological health, and social stability coexist.

Presented at Circular Economy Summit 2025

Case Study | Great Barrier Reef Economic Zone | Circular Futures NQ