Reef Rescue R&D Conference 2013

A collaborative conference to capture and share Reef Rescue R&D findings was held in conjunction with the NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub in Cairns, 7-10 May 2013.

The conference was held at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino and involved almost 200 participants from regional NRM groups, industry organisations, researcher institutions, government agencies and conservation groups involved in natural resource management in the Region.

A full conference program including abstracts for every presentation is available for download here.

Download the conference presentations from here.

If you would like further information on the conference please contact Jane Waterhouse on 0409 053 367 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Special Sessions

Two special sessions for specific Reef Rescue R&D project findings were held on Wednesday 8 May (concurrently with the NERP program).

8.30am to 12.30pm Water Quality in the Normanby Catchment, northern GBR – led by Dr Andrew Brooks, Griffith University
In this session a program of R&D on the Sediment budget for the Normanby Catchment was presented. The Normanby is the dominant catchment delivering terrestrial runoff to Princess Charlotte Bay and the northern GBR. Coupled with some of the surprising results from this work,  presentations about the alluvial gully management trials as well as the broader program of on-ground works focused on improving water quality delivery to the northern GBR was showcased. pdfDownload further information here.

1.30pm to 5.15pm BMP economics and adoption – led by Dr Stuart Whitten, CSIRO
Debate continues around the real costs of and the impediments to adopting best management practices (BMPs) with the aim of reducing pollutant exports to the GBR lagoon. Over the last two years the Reef Rescue R&D project "Integrated assessment of BMP cost-effectiveness and decision tool for regions and landholders" has sought to provide more detail around the nature of the costs (and benefits) of adoption as well as the non-monetary factors that are influencing adoption. This session focused on the results to date with a summary of the emerging integration framework. pdfDownload further information here.

Reef Rescue Awards Evening

The Reef Rescue partnership hosted the Reef Rescue Awards evening on Thursday 9 May at the Shangri-La at the Cairns Marina.

Since 2008, agricultural industry groups, regional natural resource management bodies and rural land managers have been delivering Reef Rescue, an innovative program which integrates incentives, agricultural extension, Research and Development and Monitoring and Evaluation to improve the adoption of agricultural practices that deliver water quality bene? ts in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon catchments. The program ?nishes in July 2013 and has already exceeded ambitious performance targets. The Reef Rescue Awards are an opportunity to publicly celebrate the outcomes of the Reef Rescue program. The awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge land managers who have contributed to Reef Rescue outcomes.

The Reef Rescue Awards are an initiative of the Reef Rescue partnership including Queensland Farmers' Federation, Queensland Regional NRM Groups Collective, peak agricultural industry bodies and regional natural resource management groups.

For further information on this initiative please contact Reef Rescue Awards Coordinator, Adam Knapp on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 07 3837 4747.