Annual Report 2018 | Page 10

Improving quality 10 | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 Reef Trust NQ Dry Tropics is a proud member of the Reef Alliance, a partnership between industry, regional NRM bodies and the conservation sector. Together, we are delivering the $45.6 million Growing a Great Barrier Reef project, funded through the $210 million Australian Government Reef Trust program. This project supports farmers and graziers to reduce levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, pesticides and sediment runoff, to improve reef water quality. Support includes extension, training, small grants, on-ground technical advice, and opportunities to implement on-farm innovations. By mid-2019, the project aims to work with nearly 1200 farmers and graziers – covering approximately 1.65 million hectares across 33 Great Barrier Reef catchments – to achieve a 5  per cent (169kt) reduction in sediment load, 10 per cent reduction of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and a continued reduction in pesticide load. Our work in the Burdekin focuses on cane growers and graziers. Growing a Great Barrier Reef project partners