Next month's federal budget is expected to feature a $400 million package for the reef.

But green groups have savaged the announcement, declaring the coalition government must turn its back on coal and tackle climate change if it's to have any real impact on saving the reef.

Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy says government support for projects such as Adani's planned coal mine in Queensland undermines the intentions of the proposed rescue plan.

"We can only guarantee a healthy and thriving reef for future generations by halting the pollution that is fuelling global warming, which in turn is driving mass coral bleaching and ocean acidification," she told AAP on Friday.

"Support for more dirty coal, like backing the Adani mega-mine and pushing low-ball pollution reduction targets under national energy policy, is inconsistent with a healthy Great Barrier Reef."

The Wilderness Society claim land clearing in reef catchments increased by 50 per cent in 2015-16 to 158,000 hectares and if deforestation wasn't tackled in Queensland the package would be pointless.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society says far more than the proposed $400 million must be invested if the reef is to be saved.

A "multi-billion" dollar fund to fast-track improved farm practices and repair reef catchments was essential.

"New funds must be matched by new state regulations to improve water quality as voluntary measures backed up by millions of taxpayer funds is not fixing the problem," AMCS reef campaign director Imogen Zethoven said.

The package will reportedly include $60 million already promised by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and will tackle run-off from farming, the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish, and fund new research on coral bleaching.

Leading reef scientists say back-to-back coral bleaching events, caused by higher ocean temperatures, have ravaged the reef, and some parts of it may never recover.

During his recent visit to Australia, Prince Charles called for the reef to be put at the heart of what he called the "blue economy".

He said coral bleaching and climate change meant the world had reached a crossroad when it came to protecting reef ecosystems worldwide, and decisions over the next decade would determine their fate.

A Deloitte Access Economics report released last year valued the reef at $56 billion, underpinning 64,000 direct and indirect jobs, which contributed $6.4 billion to Australia's national economy each year.

It warned of the vast economic consequences for Australia unless more was done to protect the reef.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said she had not been consulted about the proposed funding.

"We will always welcome investment in the reef but this doesn't appear to be anything new here," Ms Enoch said in a statement.

Australian Associated Press