Great Barrier Reef Water Quality
Date: 29-Jun-2017
The new Queensland Government has made a number of strong commitments to halting the decline and improving the Great Barrier Reef (see http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/priorities/) aligned with the Long Term Sustainability Plan recently released in March this year. These include the establishment of the Office of the Great Barrier Reef (within EHP), commitment to ambitious water quality targets and the creating a Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce to provide advice on how the targets might be met. Rob Fearon was nominated by LGAQ to participate in the Taskforce and attended the first meeting in early June.
A Communique summarising the findings of the first Taskforce meeting highlights that despite important increases in understanding and management of the reef in the past decade, significant further change and investment will be needed if the targets are to be achieved. The ongoing work of the Taskforce and a parallel ‘Expert Review Group’ will focus on prioritising key strategies to achieve the targets aiming to step-up activities to protect the reef. It was agreed that “poor water quality caused by agricultural and sediment run-off, climate change, coastal development and events such as cyclones and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks are the key threats to the reef”.
This week the Queensland Audit Office released their audit of Managing water quality in Great Barrier Reef Catchments which highlights the need for change and calls for improvements to the governance of reef management strategies and programs as well as monitoring and verification and better communication with the public. This report reflects the existing scientific consensus and the emerging whole-of-government approach to better management of the Reef.
The next formal meeting of the Reef Taskforce is planned for early September and in the interim, communication with local governments is being coordinated through the LGAQ. For further information please contact Rob Fearon (rfearon@qldwater.com.au).
Background Information
- QAO Audit, June 2015 - Managing water quality in Great Barrier Reef Catchments
- Long Term Sustainability Plan, March 2015
- Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report, August 2014
- Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, 2013
- 2012-13 Reef Report Card, 2013
- Scientific Consensus Statement, 2013
- Queensland Government’s Living Wonder, Great Barrier Reef website.