Great Barrier Reef Shows Steady Improvement On Annual Report Card

Great Barrier Reef holidaymakers have a lot to look forward to with promising results released for the Great Barrier Reef Report Card 2016. Landholders have been given an A+ for their efforts in continuing to make progress towards the targets outlined in Australia's Reef Plan.

Produced each year to assess the results of the combined activities towards the Reef Plan across Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef Report Card has this year shown improvements across the Wet Tropics in all scores.

A valuable tool for measuring progress, the Report Card shows a steady trajectory toward the targets. Although it will take some time for land management changes to take effect as measurable marine condition changes, the Report Card shows that the investment and effort in improving practices in land management is indeed having an effect.

CEO of Terrain, Carole Sweatman said that one of the most encouraging things to come out of the report card this year is that good results are coming out of areas with closely targeted investment.

"This is really positive news for projects like the Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project, a community designed reef water quality program in the Tully and Johnstone catchments. It's a fantastic opportunity to achieve greater water quality impacts because of the more localised approach," she said.

Chair of the Wet Tropics Sugar Industry Partnership, Joe Marano said it's important to acknowledge the advances by growers.

"This report card shows that the changes growers are making on their farms is having a positive effect. We have come a long way already and as an industry we are taking steps to accelerate these improvements in land management practices by collaborating more effectively to deliver a range of projects that are aimed at improving grower profits as well as water quality," he said.

(8th November 2017)