The peak body for Queensland's tourism industry has urged the Coalition, if it wins the election, not to be swayed by mining lobbyists looking to industrialise the Great Barrier Reef.

Daniel Gschwind, the chief executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, told Guardian Australia there was concern for the reef over the growth of coal ports and increased chemical run-off. He said the council was also worried about the prospects of job losses in tourism.

"The health of the reef is of enormous importance to us," he said. "When you ask prospective visitors why they would come to Australia, the reef features extremely highly on the list. It's fair to say we haven't been as vocal as other industries that are better resourced than us in the hurly burly of politics to make their arguments to government.

"We have consistently called for a long-term, balanced approach. We are certainly not anti-mining as it is very important to the economy, but we do have to manage those long-term threats. Two years ago every port that was proposed was seen as vital, but as the economics have changed they haven't been needed. That's why we need a long-term view."

It is estimated that the Great Barrier Reef contributes about $6.1bn to the national economy through tourism and provides work for more than 63,000 people.

Gschwind said that his members were "worried" about the state of the reef, which has lost half its coral cover in less than 30 years, but stressed there are "huge areas still in pristine shape".

He added that it would be "regrettable" if Unesco's world heritage committee carried through with its threat to list the reef as "in danger" next year, which could hamper the growth of the Queensland tourism industry.

"Both the Queensland government and the prospective federal government have said they are aware of the importance of looking after the environment and I think we've made great progress in maintaining the Great Barrier Reef marine park," Gschwind said. "I would be bitterly disappointed if an incoming government of whatever colour didn't recognise the value of the reef."

The scale of the industrialisation of the Queensland coast will be determined in part by the federal government's decision on whether to allow the dredging and expansion of Abbot Point port and a second shipping lane at Gladstone's port.

Aside from short-term threats from shipping, dredged waste and an outbreak of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, the reef is also at risk from climate change.

New research released by the University of Queensland shows that the future of Australia's coral reefs is under severe threat under a "business as usual" approach to carbon emissions that would lead to a temperature increase of about 4C by the end of the century.

The nine-month study, conducted on Heron Island and published in the scientific journal PNAS, found that coral reefs dissolve rapidly once exposed to warmer, more acidic ocean conditions.

"We discovered that coral reefs under the business-as-usual-emission scenario, the one we are on, show high rates of decalcification," said associate professor Sophie Dove, who led the study. "Essentially, dissolving before our eyes over a few months. This has serious implications for the role of coral reefs in providing habitat for thousands of species and their role in protecting coastlines from wave impacts."

Larissa Waters, Greens senator for Queensland, told Guardian Australia that recent plans released by the Coalition and Labor don't go far enough to safeguard the reef.

"Both the old parties seem to have a blind spot to the industrialisation of the reef," she said. "The agenda of the Coalition shows that the mining industry gets all that it wants on a silver platter. We want a clear restriction on port development, as cited by the world heritage committee.

"It's clear that tourism operators are worried about the full suite of threats facing the reef, but they don't want to speak out too much or risk deterring their clientele. I have sympathy for them."