|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
MILLIONS FOR RAINFOREST TO REEF RESEARCH11 December 2002 The Cooperative Research Centre's for Rainforest and Reef have won joint funding from the Commonwealth Government to minimise the effects of agriculture on the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. The $2.25 million three-year program will develop new cost-effective ways to identify, monitor and limit water quality problems in the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Areas. The Catchment to Reef collaboration links the Townsville based CRC for Reef Research and the Cairns based Rainforest CRC in assisting with the development of successful management practices for the two most economically important and popular World Heritage Areas in Australia. Rainforest Cooperative Research Centre CEO, Professor Nigel Stork said the joint research project would develop the tools needed by landholders, industry and other stakeholders to monitor the effects of land use changes and restoration of water quality in the Wet Tropics and GBR lagoon. "The Commonwealth Government will need effective tools for monitoring the status and trends of water quality entering the GBR World Heritage Area," Professor Stork said. "The export of nutrients, sediments and other contaminants into near coastal waters and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon impacts the viability and condition of these ecosystems and the industries that depend on them. "Approximately 200 near-shore reefs in the Wet Tropics and Whitsunday areas are under immediate, direct pressure." CRC Reef Research Centre, Deputy CEO, Dr David Williams said the problem of water quality from catchment to reef was widely recognised as one of Australia’s most pressing and challenging environmental issues. "There has been an increase in nutrients, sediments and agricultural chemicals flowing in to river catchments and wetland ecosystems that feed into the GBR lagoon," Dr Williams said. "This runoff threatens the ecology of seagrass areas and significant nearshore coral reefs." Collaborating organisations include: Rainforest CRC, CRC Reef, Coastal CRC, CRC Savannah, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Wet Tropics Management Authority, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, NRM Board, CSIRO and James Cook University. For more information or interviews: |
