Improving water quality in the Great Barrier Reef

CSIRO, through the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, is undertaking research to underpin the effective management of water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.

11 November 2009 | Updated 10 May 2013

Water quality in the Great Barrier Reef
CSIRO's water quality research
Future science challenges
Partners

Water quality in the Great Barrier Reef

The long-term survival of Australia’s World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef is under threat from various pressures, including declining water quality in the Reef lagoon.

Pollutants (such as sediment, nutrients and pesticides) in waters that flow from agricultural lands in the catchments adjacent to the Reef have been found to be the major cause of water quality decline.

CSIRO’s water quality research

Through the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, CSIRO is conducting research in the Great Barrier Reef region to ensure the long-term protection and restoration of Reef ecosystems and the sustainability of agricultural land uses.

The Flagship is investing in research to support the development, implementation and evaluation of on-ground actions, plans, policies and governance arrangements to improve water quality in the Reef catchment and lagoon.

Flagship scientists are integrating environmental, social and economic research to improve water quality and help restore and protect Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

From 2003-2008 our research focused on:

understanding the main pollutant sources and the process that affect pollutant loads
informing the design and prioritisation of land management strategies for water quality improvement
helping with the selection of effective mechanisms for implementation of land management strategies
enabling managers to strategically deal with the intrinsic uncertainty around the success of water quality improvement plans
examining the factors that influence governance arrangements, partnerships, and stakeholder contributions and commitment to the effective delivery of water quality plans and policies
informing the monitoring, reporting and adaptation of water quality improvement plans

Future science challenges

The main science challenges the Flagship is looking to address in the GBR Region include:

quantification of links between Great Barrier Reef catchment management and the health of Reef ecosystems
development of monitoring approaches, linked modelling and monitoring techniques, and reporting frameworks to assess the health of Reef ecosystems
development and verification of biophysical and socio-economic strategies for Reef catchment management that will improve water quality for protection and restoration of Reef ecosystems.

In addressing these challenges, we look forward to strengthening our research partnerships and collaborations in the Great Barrier Reef, and contributing our research capabilities to a combined effort to protect the Reef for future generations.

Partners

This research would not have been possible without support and contributions from our partners and collaborators, including:

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
Australian Government Department of Defence
Department of Environment and Resource Management Queensland (QLD), Australia
Department of Premier and Cabinet (QLD)
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (QLD)
Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility
Reef and Rainforest Research Centre
Cassowary Coast Regional Council
Douglas Shire Council
Whitsunday Shire Council
Townsville City Council
Terrain Natural Resource Management
NQ Dry Tropics
Reef Catchments
Fitzroy Basin Association
Meat and Livestock Australia
Canegrowers Australia
Growcom
James Cook University, QLD
Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Australian Institute of Marine Sciences
local communities across the Great Barrier Reef catchments.