This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
THE mission to save and protect the Great Barrier Reef has been given another financial boost courtesy of the Palaszczuk Government.
An extra $3 million has been delivered towards the Landholders Driving Change project in Burdekin which has produced successful results since its development.
Farmers improve the profitability and productivity of the land, reducing runoff and protecting the reef and lifestyle of Queensland in the process.
The plan also known as the Burdekin Major Integrated Project evolved from a 2016 recommendation from the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce.
Minister Meaghan Scanlon reflects on the success of the project and how it prevents further damage to the reef.
“The Palaszczuk Government and landholders in this region take our responsibilities to the reef seriously and this project has already reduced sediment runoff to the reef by a huge 10,600 tonnes each year,” Scanlon said.
“The project has been an enormous success with more than 90 per cent of large grazing properties in the region, covering some one million hectares, getting involved.”
The Palaszczuk Government has invested almost $1 billion in total towards protection of the Great Barrier Reef in the last 8 years, on top of $270 million invested towards water pollution.
“We are working in partnership with all levels of government, farmers, landowners, tourism operators and community groups to protect the reef, and the jobs that reply upon it,” Scanlon adds.
“Fine sediment poses one of the highest risks to Reef ecosystems, smothering corals, seagrasses, and other plants, affecting their growth and survival.
The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan aims to reduce anthropogenic end-of-catchment fine sediment loads entering the Reef by 25 per cent by 2025. The next phase of the Burdekin Major Integrated Project is to encourage more land managers and community members to take part in the process and create an understanding of the damage it causes.
