THE State election must be a referendum on the future of the Great Barrier Reef, the conservation group WWF says. Do you agree? Is the reef an election issue for you?

The group wrote to Premier Anna Bligh and LNP leader Campbell Newman demanding tougher policies on pollution and damaging fishing practices.

A failure to act risks the ongoing demise of the World Heritage listed asset, it said.

"There are over 700 reefs on the Great Barrier Reef that are at risk from land-based pollution, such as mud and pesticides from farms," WWF’s Great Barrier Reef national manager Nick Heath said.

"More than 1000 turtles have washed up along the coast over the past year after their food sources were smothered by sediment.

"And we continue to see dolphins, turtles and dugongs getting entangled and drowning in fishing nets used near the shore."

The group said more money must be pumped into reducing pollution on the Reef by encouraging better farming practices.

It also wanted tougher fishing controls in sensitive habitats, and more to be done to save turtles and dugongs from illegal poachers.

The major parties were also asked to set up a fund, with money from the mining boom, to invest in Reef resilience programs.

"Queensland’s tourism industry and regional communities need a healthy Reef, and our world-class marine environment deserves the best level of protection we can provide," Mr Heath said.

A team from the UN environmental arm, UNESCO, is due to visit Queensland next month to assess what the State and Federal governments are doing to protect the Reef.

It will report to the World Heritage Committee on threats posed to the Reef, including impacts from development proposals.

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