Reef Rescue Forum 2012

A collaborative forum to capture and share Reef Rescue progress was held in Brisbane on 28-30 August, involving more than 100 participants from regional NRM groups, industry organisations, researchers, government agencies and conservation groups involved in the implementation of Reef Rescue.

The objectives of the forum were to:

    • Communicate findings of research and monitoring projects with a focus on those implemented through Reef Rescue investment
    • Inform the evaluation of Reef Rescue by sharing progress across the program and expected outcomes to May 2013
    • Review findings that will help to inform the design of future investments in Great Barrier Reef water quality improvement
    • Continue to build collaboration between government policy makers and stakeholders
    • Inform final reporting of Reef Rescue R&D outcomes to identify gaps in knowledge and priorities for further investment.

Download the 2012 Reef Rescue Forum Program.

Workshop Outcomes

Download the Reef Rescue R&D September eNewsletter for a comprehensive rundown of the event

Download a summary of the highlights and the key points from each session. 

Read a comprehensive overview of the outcomes of the forum. 

Articles:

Queensland Farmers Federation: Event puts reef under microscope

Queensland Country Life: Lessons of reef learned

Queensland Country Life Farm Online: Great Barrier Reef rescue program under microscope

Terrain: Reef Rescue progress and future 

Reef Rescue Forum Presentations

A wealth of information was presented at the Forum - browse the presentations here.

Reef Rescue Forum Gallery

Visit the Reef Rescue Forum Gallery.

Forum in Focus

The Forum saw presentations on a range of land management subjects, including the two snapshots below.

Land managment improvement in the grazing industry

Reef Rescue R&D projects working with the grazing industries are focused on reducing sediment and pesticide load in runoff by improving land management. CSIRO's Scott Wilkinson and DNRM's Mark Silburn talked about the impact of improved practices on water quality outcomes. Monitoring practice change using data from 1986 to 2010, combined with the GRASP model, the researchers have shown, for example, that to decrease the level of sediment in runoff by 20%, requires a 20% increase in groundcover. Read more

Land management improvement in the sugarcane industry

Much attention focused on research investigating land management changes in the sugarcane industry, with teams building up evidence that changes to better practices have a positive effect in terms of lowering runoff without affecting productivity. Some of the key points from the Reef Rescue R&D projects working with the sugar industry were that growers need to understand the costs and benefits associated with moving to ‘A’ class management practices, smart irrigation needs to be part of the solution and the importance of keeping chemicals on the paddock needs to be emphasised.