The beef industry is a major land user in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment.

Sustainable grazing near the Great Barrier Reef

The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship is developing new land use and management practices in the grazing lands of the Great Barrier Reef catchments.

• 7 March 2011 | Updated 6 July 2012

• Overview
• Understanding sources of sediments
• New grazing practices

Overview

High concentrations of sediments – and the pollutants they carry – can cause damage to the near-shore areas of the Great Barrier Reef.

Over 80 per cent of sediments and nutrients discharged to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area originate from the extensive grazing lands of the Queensland interior.

The quantity of sediments and nutrients lost from grazing lands depends heavily on grazing management practices.

The Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan calls on graziers to change their management practices and decrease the impact of their industry on areas off their own properties.

Understanding sources of sediments

CSIRO is undertaking research to identify the dominant processes and spatial patterns of erosion that deliver fine sediment to the Great Barrier Reef.

Understanding the dominant sources of sediment will allow changes in grazing practices to be targeted to most effectively reduce sediment yields.  

This research has used innovative monitoring techniques to sample suspended sediment during flooding events, and fine sediment deposits following these event.

New grazing practices

The Australian Government is investing substantial amounts of money under the Reef Rescue program to facilitate changed management of cropping and grazing lands in catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef, aiming to reduce pollutant loads.

Previously, little data was available on the effectiveness of different management practices for improving water quality. Researchers in the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship have developed a framework for estimating the water quality benefits of improved land management practices, and are assessing the impacts of improved grazing land management on sediment yields.

The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship is also working with grazing communities to develop new grazing methods that reduce erosion and protect the Reef.

Improving grazing management practices should lead to increased productivity for industry and protection of the environment.

Find out about other Water For A Healthy Country Flagship research projects.