Successfully treated major gully system at Glen Bowen Station .
Landholders Driving Change was one of two Major Integrated Projects ( MIPs ) recommended by the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce . The other MIP aimed to reduce nutrient and pesticide runoff from cane and banana farms in the Wet Tropics region . The Queensland Government committed a total of $ 33 million to fund both MIPs .
LANDHOLDERS DRIVING CHANGE
INNOVATIVE GRAZIER-LED WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ACHIEVES GREAT SUCCESS
In 2017 NQ Dry Tropics launched the $ 15 million , Queensland Government-funded Landholders Driving Change ( LDC ) project .
The three-year initiative mobilised a community of landholders to achieve lasting sustainable land management and water quality improvements .
For the first time , a project at this scale aimed to engage every landholder in a high-priority location for sediment control — the Bowen , Broken , Bogie ( BBB ) catchment near Bowen and Collinsville .
The BBB was identified in the 2016 Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan as contributing one quarter of the total fine sediment load flowing into the Great Barrier Reef .
LDC delivered a program designed by graziers and tailored to their needs across five activity areas : Grazier support ; Landscape remediation ; Influencing other land managers ; Exploring new incentives ; and Policy engagement . Landholders were encouraged to work together and learn from each other to improve productivity and the environment .
Although the initial Queensland Government investment ended this year , the partnership between the Australian Government and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation has committed a further $ 23 million to continue Grazier support and Landscape remediation activities for a further three years .
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Field days were a key part of the project .