Introduction
1.1 Background to the Major Integrated Projects
Two major integrated projects ( MIPs ) were recommended by the Great Barrier Reef ( GBR ) Water Science Taskforce in its final report released in May 2016 ( www . gbr . qld . gov . au / taskforce / final-report /).
The Queensland Government has agreed to implement this recommendation to reduce nutrient , sediment and pesticide loads in the Wet Tropics and Burdekin regions . The MIPs aim to concentrate interventions and management efforts at a catchment scale and fully evaluate their effectiveness in improving water quality .
This approach will be trialled in two regions to test whether it is effective and suitable for broader application . One project will engage with cane and potentially banana growers in the Wet Tropics ( e . g . within the Tully and Johnstone catchments ) to reduce nutrient and pesticide run-off . The other project will engage with graziers in the Burdekin ( e . g . in the Bowen-Broken-Bogie and Upper Burdekin sub-catchments ) to reduce sediment run-off .
The two MIPs will deliver a mix of tools and interventions over a four year period in a focused and integrated way in known hot spot areas for nutrients , sediments and pesticides . Examples of tools and interventions include one-on-one extension , peer to peer learning , trialling and promoting innovative agricultural practices , remediation actions , customised incentives , stewardship payments and systems repair works ( amongst others ). These projects will build on and integrate with existing activities in each area to maximise efficiencies and outcomes .
The MIPs will explore and test the efficacy of a more integrated and comprehensive engagement and behavioural change process . As part of this , the MIPs will evaluate and communicate the environmental , economic and social benefits and corresponding costs ( in terms of investment required ) so that the approaches can be appropriately applied across GBR catchments if successful . Producers and local communities in hot spot areas will be engaged closely in designing , delivering and evaluating the two projects .
The two MIPs provide an opportunity to design and deliver a range of interventions to improve water quality from the ground up in a focused and tailored way ; while also testing the effectiveness of this approach and adapting it as needed over the life of the project . Building on the science and learnings developed over the last 10 + years of delivering reef water quality programs , we are now in an ideal position to implement this approach .
The quantum of investment required to implement focused interventions and undertake fine scale monitoring limits the scale at which this approach can be applied initially . However , if the two MIPs can demonstrate benefits , there is opportunity to showcase this success and justify the need to expand to other areas .
Why was the Bowen catchment selected ? The Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan ( WQIP ; NQ Dry Tropics , 2016 ) identifies the Bowen-Broken-Bogie as the highest priority catchment for sediment loss in the Burdekin NRM region , followed by the Upper Burdekin catchment .
The Burdekin watershed is ~ 130,000 km 2 and drains into the GBR lagoon south of Townsville . It has the largest mean annual runoff of any of the GBR watersheds at 10.29 × 106 ML , and is the largest contributor of anthropogenic derived fine sediment to the GBR lagoon ( Waters et al ., 2014 ). The Burdekin River and its catchment influences large areas of coastal floodplains and important wetland areas , coral reefs and seagrass beds , and the
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