4 | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018
A message from the
THE International Year of the Reef 2018 is an opportune
time to acknowledge the progress our regional
landholders have made towards reducing impacts on
water quality and the Great Barrier Reef – with NQ Dry
Tropics supporting them every step of the way.
We have continued working extensively with graziers to
keep soil on land and support them to build stronger,
more resilient enterprises.
Cane growers, meanwhile, continue to reduce fertiliser
use, improve irrigation efficiency, and trial innovative
practices to minimise nutrient runoff.
We have further strengthened the many
partnerships that underpin our natural
resource
management
(NRM) work, demonstrating the importance of
collaboration in achieving on-ground results.
For example, partnerships with Burdekin Shire Council,
Lower Burdekin Water and local landholders were key
to the success of our long-term Systems Repair project,
which wrapped up this year.
This initiative improved the health of important wetland
ecosystems in the Lower Burdekin.
Two other major funding programs concluded this year –
the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
(NLP) and the Queensland Regional Natural Resource
Management Investment Program.
We are delighted to have successfully bid for project
funding under their replacements – NLP2, and QNRIP.
CEO Dr Scott Crawford (left) and
Chair Les Tyrell and, pictured right,
the Board of Directors.
This provides funding
certainty for the next
four years, and heralds
the start of some
exciting new projects.