Burnett-Mary Water Quality Improvement Plan
Over the past two years Natural Decisions has worked on a number of significant projects related to improving water quality in the Great Barrier Reef region. One of these was assisting the Burnett-Mary Regional Group (BMRG), at the southern end of the reef where it adjoins Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Straits.
To help protect ecosystem values, the BMRG with funding from the Australian Government has developed a Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP). The development of this Plan has consolidated and updated three previous catchment based WQIPs (Burnett-Baffle, Burrum and Mary), acknowledging the ecological links between the two major marine protected areas in the Burnett Mary region.
The Burnett River at Bundaberg
The WQIP will guide investment in activities to address water quality issues on urban and rural land in the catchments of the Burnett Mary region. It explicitly considers the feasibility and cost-benefits of achieving water quality objectives and identifies the research and monitoring required to improve knowledge.
The final plan was launched on the 17th June 2015 in Hervey Bay. It’s been a great experience working on the project with the BMRG, together with their partners and stakeholder organisations, including grazing and sugar cane growing industries across the region. The WQIP has been developed by Frederick Bennett from BMRG and Michelle Dickson, Geoff Park and Anna Roberts from Natural Decisions Pty. Ltd.
Click here to request a copy of the Plan.
Improving water quality is crucial to safeguarding the extraordinary values of the Great Barrier Reef.
Posted 30 June 2015 in News
