Reef Plan Research Articles

Linking water quality impacts and benefits of ecosystem services in the Great Barrier Reef

Water quality degradation in the Great Barrier Reef, associated with increased loads of nutrients, sediments and pesticides from agriculture, has become a major concern. Improved management practices and water quality targets were set in the Reef Plan 2013, but with limited success. The causality between water quality degradation, ecosystem health and benefits to society remains poorly understood, questioning the relevance of current water quality targets. We argue that ecosystem service valuation may help identify the benefits generated by ecosystems and help prioritise further investments in water quality improvement.We estimate the loss of benefits to society resulting from water quality reduction, concentrating on the influence of pollutants on mangroves, seagrass and coral reefs. Our results suggest that failing to meet Government's water quality targets by 1% would result in losses between AU$22 k/year and AU$6.9 M/year depending on the industry. We then discuss the implications stemming from these results for local policy-making.

Assessing the net benefits of achieving water quality targets using a bio-economic model

The aim of this study was to develop a bio-economic model to estimate the feasibility and net profit (or net costs) of achieving set water quality targets (sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicide load reductions) in the Burnett-Mary region within the southern portion of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), southern Queensland, Australia. Two sets of targets were evaluated, namely (1) Reef Plan Targets (RPTs) representing currently agreed targets, and (2) the more ambitious Ecologically Relevant Targets (ERTs) designed to halt the decline and improve the condition of the GBR. This paper describes the construction of a bio-economic optimisation framework linking field and catchment scale biophysical model results and farm economic analysis to solve for RPTs or ERTs assigned either regionally or within discrete basins. Key outcomes from the study were that RPTs could be achieved whereas ERTs required significant additional investment and were infeasible if individual basins must meet the targets.

In girding for climate change, Great Barrier Reef plan falls short

In girding for climate change, Great Barrier Reef plan falls short

Automating Online Reef Report Cards – Linking Land Management Practices to Water Quality and Coral Reef Ecosystem Health

This paper describes an online information management system (AORRA) that we are developing for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF), in collaboration with State and Federal agencies in Australia, to automate the production and online publication of annual Reef Plan Report Cards. The Reef Water Quality Protection Plan is a collaborative program designed to improve the quality of water in the Great Barrier Reef through improved land management practices in reef catchments. The Reef Plan sets ambitious but achievable targets for water quality and land management improvements, and identifies actions to improve the quality of water entering the reef. The success of the plan is measured through Paddock to Reef and Marine Monitoring Programs and annual Reef Plan Report Cards that integrate information and report on land management practices, catchment indicators, water quality loads and the health of the Great Barrier Reef. This paper describes the technical challenges we faced in developing AORRA (Automated Online Reef Reporting Application) – including the integration of heterogeneous monitoring datasets, the derivation of meaningful indicators and the generation of report card products that data about complex spatio-temporal environmental processes to a non-technical audience.

A Paddock to reef monitoring and modelling framework for the Great Barrier Reef: Paddock and catchment component

Targets for improvements in water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have been set through the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan). To measure and report on progress towards the targets set a program has been established that combines monitoring and modelling at paddock through to catchment and reef scales; the Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program (Paddock to Reef Program). This program aims to provide evidence of links between land management activities, water quality and reef health. Five lines of evidence are used: the effectiveness of management practices to improve water quality; the prevalence of management practice adoption and change in catchment indicators; long-term monitoring of catchment water quality; paddock & catchment modelling to provide a relative assessment of progress towards meeting targets; and finally marine monitoring of GBR water quality and reef ecosystem health. This paper outlines the first four lines of evidence.

Terrestrial pollutant runoff to the Great Barrier Reef: An update of issues, priorities and management responses

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a World Heritage Area and contains extensive areas of coral reef, seagrass meadows and fisheries resources. From adjacent catchments, numerous rivers discharge pollutants from agricultural, urban, mining and industrial activity. Pollutant sources have been identified and include suspended sediment from erosion in cattle grazing areas; nitrate from fertiliser application on crop lands; and herbicides from various land uses. The fate and effects of these pollutants in the receiving marine environment are relatively well understood. The Australian and Queensland Governments responded to the concerns of pollution of the GBR from catchment runoff with a plan to address this issue in 2003 (Reef Plan; updated 2009), incentive-based voluntary management initiatives in 2007 (Reef Rescue) and a State regulatory approach in 2009, the Reef Protection Package. This paper reviews new research relevant to the catchment to GBR continuum and evaluates the appropriateness of current management responses.

Statistical power of detecting trends in total suspended sediment loads to the Great Barrier Reef

The export of pollutant loads from coastal catchments is of primary interest to natural resource management. For example, Reef Plan, a joint initiative by the Australian Government and the Queensland Government, has indicated that a 20% reduction in sediment is required by 2020. There is an obvious need to consider our ability to detect any trend if we are to set realistic targets or to reliably identify changes to catchment loads. We investigate the number of years of monitoring aquatic pollutant loads necessary to detect trends. Instead of modelling the trend in the annual loads directly, given their strong relationship to flow, we consider trends through the reduction in concentration for a given flow. Our simulations show very low power (<40%) of detecting changes of 20% over time periods of several decades, indicating that the chances of detecting trends of reasonable magnitudes over these time frames are very small.

Towards ecologically relevant targets for river pollutant loads to the Great Barrier Reef

Degradation of coastal ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, has been linked with a decline in water quality from land-based runoff. This paper examines the reduction in current end-of-catchment loads required for total suspended solids (TSS) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to achieve GBR water quality guidelines. Based on first-order estimates of sustainable pollutant loads, current TSS and DIN loads would need to be reduced by approximately 7000ktons/y (41%) and 6000tons/y (38%), respectively. Next, these estimated reductions for TSS and DIN are compared with Reef Plan targets for anthropogenic sediment (−20% by 2020) and nitrogen (−50% by 2013) loads. If successful, these targets will accomplish approximately 40% of TSS and 92% of DIN load reductions required to achieve sustainable loads to the GBR lagoon. These first-order estimates elucidate the need to establish ecologically relevant targets for river pollutant loads to the GBR for management and policy.

Assessing the potential underestimation of sediment and nutrient loads to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon during floods

Much of the sediment and nutrient load to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon happens during over bank floods, when discharge can be significantly underestimated by standard river gauges. This paper assesses the potential need for a flood load correction for 28 coastal rivers that discharge into the GBR lagoon. For each river, daily discharge was divided into flows above and below a ‘flood’ threshold to calculate the mean annual percentage flow above this threshold. Most GBR rivers potentially need a flood load correction as over 15% of their mean annual flow occurs above the minor flood level; only seven rivers need little/no correction as their flood flows were less than 5% of the mean annual flow. Improved assessment of the true load of materials to the GBR lagoon would be an important contribution to the monitoring and reporting of progress towards Reef Plan and associated marine load targets.

Large-scale pesticide monitoring across Great Barrier Reef catchments – Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program

The transport and potential toxicity of pesticides in Queensland (QLD) catchments from agricultural areas is a key concern for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In 2009, a pesticide monitoring program was established as part of the Australian and QLD Governments’ Reef Plan (2009). Samples were collected at eight End of System sites (above the tidal zone) and three sub-catchment sites. At least two pesticides were detected at every site including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and the Reef Plan’s (2009) five priority photosystem II (PSII) herbicides (diuron, atrazine, hexazinone, tebuthiuron and ametryn). Diuron, atrazine and metolachlor exceeded Australian and New Zealand water quality guideline trigger values (TVs) at eight sites. Accounting for PSII herbicide mixtures increased the estimated toxicity and led to larger exceedances of the TVs at more sites. This study demonstrates the widespread contamination of pesticides, particularly PSII herbicides, across the GBR catchment area which discharges to the GBR.

Water policy impact assessment – combining modelling techniques in the Great Barrier Reef region

The Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan) defined a landmark for policy in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. It identifies actions, mechanisms and partnerships and builds on existing government policies, industry and community initiatives for the purpose of “halting and reversing the decline in water quality entering the Reef within 10 years” through “reducing the load of pollutants from diffuse sources in the water entering the Reef”. A range of different indicators proposed for the nine strategies of the plan define policy goals that require an integrated assessment of the Great Barrier Reef region. In this context and under given uncertainties in regard to policy outcomes, decision support systems can help simulate the impact of potential policy options. Policy options involving water quantity and water quality questions and the underlying context of land use require an understanding of environmental, economic and social consequences. This paper presents an approach developed for the GBR region, which employs a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and an agent-based model (ABM) for integrated policy impact assessment. This applied modelling approach shows that strengths of different modelling techniques can be combined to support water policy decision making more effectively. This paper is focused on integration in the form of policy process and research response regarding model design on two system scales that provide cross scale decision support.

Rigs-to-Reef Programs in the Gulf of Mexico

The Louisiana and Texas Artificial Reef Programs are the largest rigs-to-reef programs in the world. The program involves donating obsolete oil and gas structures for use as artificial reefs in lieu of on-shore removal. The National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984 established the U.S. National Artificial Reef Plan and provided guidelines for state development of artificial reef programs. In 1986, the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program was established and has accepted over 120 decommissioned platforms to create 83 artificial reef sites in the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas Artificial Reef Program, established in 1991, has created over 35 reef sites from 73 platforms. The purpose of this article is to describe the Louisiana and Texas Artificial Reef Programs, to compare their regulatory structures, and to discuss the nature of the cost savings associated with reef donation and the frequency of donation.