2. The Great Barrier Reef
• World heritage area
• 2300 km along the
Queensland coast
• 2900 reefs plus seagrass
meadows, mangroves and
other habitats

3. Threats
Climate change
Shipping Coastal
development
Point source
pollution
Plus …

4. Diffuse source pollution from
agriculture
• Big catchment (½
million km2)
• Highly variable
climate
• Flood events.

5. Background
• 2008 Updated Scientific Consensus Statement on Reef
water Quality
• Indicates ongoing nutrient, sediment & pesticide impacts
mainly from agriculture
• Most coral loss due to dissolved inorganic nitrogen
mainly from cane fertiliser
• New threat from GHG emissions: ocean warming and
acidification

6. Reef Water Quality Protection Plan
• Joint initiative of the Queensland and
Australian Governments
• Focuses on diffuse source pollution
• Provides the policy framework and a
funding commitment.

7. Reef Plan goals and targets
• Landholders adopt improved land management practices
• Catchment targets:
o No net loss of wetlands
o Riparian extent and condition improved
o Groundcover maintained.
• Water quality load reduction targets
No detrimental impact on Great Barrier Reef health and
resilience.

8. Reef Plan Targets
80% of landholders
Achieve a minimum of (sugarcane, horticulture, dairy,
Management 50% dry season cotton and grains) adopted
groundcover in the Dry
Practices Tropics grazing lands
improved soil, nutrient and
chemical practices (cropping)
50% reduction in the
Pollutant total nutrient and 20% reduction in sediment
pesticide load at the
Loads end of catchments by
load at the end of
catchments by 2020.
2013.
Riparian / Condition and extent No net loss or
of riparian areas will degradation of natural
Wetlands have improved wetlands

9. Paddock to Reef Program
Objectives:
To measure and report on progress
towards the Reef Plan goals and targets
Use multiple lines of evidence
Highly collaborative
! Need to measure change in the short
term.

10. Industry
RBs
CSIRO
DEEDI
DERM DERM GBRMPA
Reporting - DPC

11. Lines of Evidence
Adoption of Practice Water Quality Ecosystem
Practices Effectiveness Reductions Outcomes
(Catchment monitoring (Marine monitoring
Simulations and modelling) program)
Land
Use Sub-
basin
Basin
Plot
Bare
Ground
Index Paddock

12. ‘Paddock to Reef’ approach
Multiple lines of evidence and integration
• Practice adoption monitoring
• Mapping and remote sensing
– Wetland extent
– Riparian cover
– Groundcover.
• Monitoring and modelling
– Paddock water quality
– Sub catchment and end of the catchment water quality
– Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem health.

13. Reef
Monitoring & Modelling
Bananas Cane
Grazing
Cropping Horticulture

14. Measuring pollutant export
rates from different farming
practices – flume experiments

15. Plot scale -
Rainfall simulation

16. Ground Cover Index
Mean Groundcover
1988-2006
Groundcover estimated state-wide each
year using Landsat at 25m resolution
where FPC is less than 20%
–High Cover
Michael Schmidt
–Low Cover Peter Scarth
–FPC > 20% Kerry Speller

17. Measuring sediment
export from different
grazing land pasture
conditions

18. Management Effectiveness
Information Rainfall Transpiration
for Paddock-based Models
Plant
Evaporation growth
Predict results for different:
– Climatic regions Runoff
– Soils Sediment
Soil water
Nutrients
– Land uses (grazing, cropping) store
– Management practices (ABCD) Drainage

19. Catchment modelling
Forecast and manage
stream water quantity,
quality & the effects of
catchments on streams

20. End of catchment
monitoring

21. Components monitored under the
Marine Monitoring Program
Inshore lagoon water quality
Flood Monitoring
Marine Biological monitoring
(Coral and seagrass)

22. GBR Marine
Monitoring
Program Sites

23. Water Quality Guidelines
Integrating knowledge of WQ impacts on Reef Health
National Queensland Reef
(currently under revision) (updated 2009) (released 2009)

24. www.reefplan.qld.gov.au

25. Acknowledgements
• Queensland Government agencies
• Australian Government agencies
• Regional NRM bodies
• Industry groups
• Research and development organisations
• University of Maryland
• CSIRO
• AIMS / JCU / UQ.
… AND MANY MORE …