Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 33

Funding provided through the Queensland
Government's Reef Plan section of the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry (DAFF) has supported an enhanced
MMP by extending the monitoring sites to
include five more locations including the
Princess Charlotte Bay region and north of
Lockhart River at Piper Reef and Shelburne
Bay. A location at Bowling Green Bay (a
Ramsar site) has also been included as it is a
well-defined agricultural area closely linked
with an important, productive estuarine
fisheries habitat and where improved landmanagement practices can be related to water
quality outcomes.
Monitoring of the four new Cape York
locations occurred during May (late wet) and
September 2012 (late dry). Although it is early
days yet to report on the health of these
northern sites they appeared to be in a fair state
Cape York monitoring with expected species diversity and abundance.
Seagrass meadows which have little or no impacts from Analysis of seagrass leaf tissue nutrient levels
agricultural runoff are being assessed in northern Cape York. and reproductive health is currently in progress
LJ
and will contribute to the 2012/13 Paddock to
Reef report card.
Any modifications to farming practices under the Reef Plan
To assess the health of key marine ecosystems (inshore coral program will take time to be reflected in the health of the marine
reefs and seagrasses) and the condition of water quality in the ecosystem. It is anticipated that changes in water quality are
inshore GBR lagoon, the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality expected within adjacent coastal waters (end of catchment)
Protection Plan Marine Monitoring Program (MMP) was within 10-20 years(4). Farming practice modifications occurring
established by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. This now will have long term outcomes for the reef environment and
program is critical for the assessment of long-term improvement monitoring will need to be continued as a long-term project.
in water quality and in marine ecosystem health deriving from the
adoption of land management practices in the GBR catchments
(see issues 35 & 39).
References:
Until 2011 the MMP monitored seagrass at 16 locations along
1. http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/pollution/reef/ , accessed 22 October 2012
2. Brodie et al. (2008) Synthesis of evidence to support the Scientific Consensus Statement on Water Quality in the Great
the Queensland coast from Cooktown south to the bottom of the
Barrier Reef. http://www