Experts Agree on Science for Reef Protection: Scientific Consensus Statement The most comprehensive and rigorous review about the effects of land-based activities on Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem condition was released in August 2024: the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement. The Statement brings together the latest scientific evidence to understand how land-based activities can influence water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, and how these influences can be managed. Led by C2O Consulting and funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, the Statement involved more than 200 experts including 78 authors and 69 reviewers from Australia and overseas. The outputs are based on evidence from over 4,000 publications. Based on the evidence, 35 scientific experts reached consensus on eight overarching conclusions, including that historical and continuing land management and catchment modification impair Great Barrier Reef water quality through extensive vegetation degradation, changed hydrology, increased erosion, and expansion of fertilised land uses, urban centres and coastal developments. The Statement, including its detailed conclusions, is available at www.reefwqconsensus.com.au

Managing Water Pollution from Urban Areas Managing urban run-off is an important part of looking after the health of our local waterways and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef.  Urban areas cover less than 1% of the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Yet stormwater run-off from urban and industrial land use and wastewater treatment plant releases contribute up to 7% of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and close to 2% of the sediment that flows into the Reef. The Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program (QRWQP) invests significantly into programs that support local councils and industry to manage excess nutrients and sediment from urban areas flowing into waterways.  The Urban Water Stewardship Framework (framework) assists councils to assess and report on the level of practice applied to key aspects of their urban water management practices in relation to water quality risk.  Additional funding from the Australian Government means the framework will now expand to councils beyond the Reef regional waterway partnership regions, and that assessment workshops are held in person with the findings presented to the executive leadership team of the participating council. Assessments [...]

Understanding Soil - A Key to Water Stewardship Central Highlands Grower Neek Morawitz has been involved in growing cotton since 1984 when his dad Carl began growing the fibre in the Central Highlands. The crop became part of the family’s cropping rotation and in the early 2000’s Neek began growing cotton in his own right on a property at the bottom of the Comet River on the Nogoa McKenzie junction. The efficient use of water has always been a key element in the success of the Morawitz farming strategy and Neek describes his own approach as being a combination of science, best practice and gut feel – and that combination has served him well for many years. “One of the things I do is stretch the deficits when conditions allow, by delaying the  timing of irrigations a bit more than most and past what some of the data might suggest, and that can help the plant to be more resilient. But you can’t make the plant tough without first understanding your own soil types.” Neek well and truly understands the soil he [...]