Evaluating water quality incentives and partnerships in the Burnett Mary region
Recently Anna Roberts spent a week in the Burnett Mary region evaluating a three year Australian Government funded program to protect the Great Barrier Reef in terms of its impact, effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness. The program is focused on improving partnerships with local industries (sugarcane, grazing, dairy and horticulture) and providing incentives for landholders to increase adoption of management practices to reduce sediment, nutrient and pesticide runoff into the Great Barrier Reef.
Horticulture and sugarcane near the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef
Partnerships have been significantly strengthened as a result of the program and the evidence is that the speed of practice adoption has been increased. Industry suggests that even relatively small incentives provide a significant ‘carrot’ for farmers to adopt faster than they would otherwise and that without continued incentives, increased practice adoption will be much more of a challenge. The full report will be presented to the Burnett Mary Regional Group in June and will have useful implications for the new Reef Trust program.
Sugarcane at Childers
Posted 25 May 2016 in News
