"It will come as a surprise to most people that so many of the issues confronted in the 1960s by the doughty campaigners against drilling for oil on the barrier reef are still alive. We will have to be as determined and as persistent as they if we are to protect what is now a World Heritage Site from pollution, dredging, dumping, coral bleaching and pest species.Germaine Greer, author of White Beech Judith Wright's recount of the heroic early battles for the reef exemplifies the incredible achievements of a passionate few, who with vision and determination were able to succeed against the odds. This book is the stuff of legends and is a must read for all those who consider themselves environmental custodians. An extraordinary story in itself, The Coral Battleground now takes on an even more pertinent meaning as the Great Barrier Reef faces its biggest threat since the oil rigs of the 70s. May Judith's story inspire a new generation to fight for the reef!Bob Irwin, Bob Irwin Wildlife & Conservation Foundation Inc. Wonderful and timely to see this lovely new edition of a classic book that every Australian should own. In it Judith tells the inspiring David and Goliath story of how she and a group of friends took on massive forces of greed and destruction that threatened the existence of the Great Barrier Reef and won. Australia urgently needs this new call to arms.Iain McCalman, author of The Reef: A Passionate History Political intrigue, shifting allegiances, dirty deeds, and more, Judith Wright records the environmental struggles of the 1970s, and the peoples movement to preserve the Great Barrier Reef for a time. Today, as the reef faces new threats, her book provides inspiration, and a how-to guide for a new generation of activists, for whom the beauty of the reef matters most deeply.Rosaleen Love, author of Reefscape The Coral Battleground, first published in 1977, records the successful struggles of Judith Wright and others to preserve the Great Barrier Reef from exploratory drilling for oil and limestone mining. Today, with UNESCO on the point of declaring the Reef world heritage in danger, Wrights work remains an essential and inspiring call to arms in the new battles against pollution and over-development.Professor Emerita Elizabeth Webby AM This edition of Judith Wrights lucid and compelling account of the fight to save the reef comes with added value a publishers preface, a new foreword [by Margaret Thorsborne AO] and Judith Wrights own prophetic warning that such victories are never really won. Todays campaigners will find inspiration in Judith Wrights persistent vision in the face of great odds.Margaret Moorhouse, Alliance to Save Hinchinbrook Inc. Where is the fire in their belly?" Judith Wright asked me of the millions who claim to be environmentalists but do nothing or, worse still, vote for the wreckers. Her Coral Battleground is a call to action from last century to save the Great Barrier Reef from ending up as a barren ruin this century. This book is a classic of ecological literature.Bob Brown, environmentalist and former Parliamentary Leader Australian Greens Party Just as Rachael Carsons Silent Spring inspired a generation to protect the natural environment from destructive practices so another generation in Australia was galvanised by the first major conservation campaign to save the Great Barrier Reef, comprehensively documented in this book by Judith Wright, one of the key participants in the battle. Suzie Smith, Secretary, Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland Cassowary CoastHinchinbrook branch"

Judith Wright is probably Australia's greatest poet; she was also an ardent conservationist and activist. She died in 2000, at the age of 85. Over a long and distinguished literary career, she published poetry, children's books, literary essays, biographies, histories and other works of non-fiction. Her commitment to the Great Barrier Reef began in 1962, when she helped found the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland. She went on to become a member of the Committee of Enquiry into the National Estate and life member of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Judith Wright worked tirelessly to promote land rights for Aboriginal people and to raise awareness among non-Aboriginal Australians of their plight arising from the legacy of European settlement. She has written The Cry for the Dead (1981), We Call for a Treaty (1985) and Born of the Conquerors (1991). Judith Wright was awarded many honours for her writing, including the Grace Leven Award (twice), the New South Wales Premier's Prize, the Encyclopedia Britannica Prize for Literature, and the ASAN World Prize for Poetry. She has received honorary degrees (D.Litt.) from the Universities of New England, Sydney Monash, Melbourne, Griffith and New South Wales and the Australian National University. In 1994 she received the Human Rights Commission Award for Collected Poems.