Healing the Scars of the Land

Restoring the connection between land and sea to preserve the Great Barrier Reef

Artwork by Melanie Hava, Mamu Aboriginal woman, Dugulbarra and Waribarra family groups, from the Johnstone River catchment of the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland and the adjoining Great Barrier Reef sea country.

A Natural Wonder Under Threat

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the richest and most complex ecosystems on Earth. It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world and home to a quarter of all marine life including fish, dolphins and six of the world's seven species of marine turtle.

The impacts of climate change and poor water quality, caused by sediment run-off and pollution, are the biggest threats to the Reef's future...

We are Responsible

A long legacy of development and degradation have increased the amount of key pollutants entering the Reef by more than two-fold compared to pre-European conditions.

The most significant contributor of land-based pollution is agriculture.

This large gully system is a deepening scar on the landscape where water flushes large amounts of sediment into waterways that can carry it out to the Reef.

Tackling Pollution

While the world works towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, our water quality team at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, through the Reef Trust Partnership, has launched a vigorous program of action to achieve enduring reductions in key pollutants entering the Great Barrier Reef.

Working Where it Counts

We are working across an area the size of Ireland to reduce key pollutants in the highest-priority catchments through our ten on-ground regional programs.

Highlights of the Program

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation's water quality program is doing things differently. We work with local partners to make measurable improvements in the quality of water reaching the Great Barrier Reef by strengthening the relationship between rural communities and the ecosystem.

Together, we are on track to...

Our generation holds the Great Barrier Reef's future in its hands. The actions we take now will determine whether it thrives or collapses.' Anna Marsden, Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director

The water quality program is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

This ArcGIS StoryMap was a collaborative effort between  GPOne Consulting  and the  Great Barrier Reef Foundation . A special thanks to Milena Gongora and Colby Lawton from the Great Barrier Reef Foundation for their help sourcing content, establishing the narrative and their continued support throughout the entirety of the project.

Cover Video 

Johnny Gaskell; Verterra Ecological Engineering Pty Ltd. 

Gully photo

Justin Stout, Griffith University 

Coral Bleaching Image 

XL Catlin Seaview Survey 

Autoweed picture 

Alex Olson, Autoweed 

Preserving pristine landcapes 

Jesse Price-Decle, South Cape York Catchments 

Spatial variability in bleaching severity on the Great Barrier Reef during 

All research content generated by NESP TWQ hub projects is available, where possible, under a creative common license

Sea Surface Temperature Dataset

Data was sourced from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). IMOS is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure strategy (NCRIS). 

Sediment trail Images 

Third photo (Aerial photo of river filled with sediment): Dieter Tracey, JCU Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) 

Finding innovative solutions

Verterra Ecological Engineering Pty Ltd; Alex Olson, Autoweed; Jonathan Reichard, Reef Catchments; Sugar Research Australia 

Traditional Owner Involvement 

‘Reef Wonderland’ artwork and Traditional Owner acknowledgment by Melanie Hava, Mamu Aboriginal woman, Dugulbarra and Waribarra family groups, from the Johnstone River catchment of the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland and the adjoining Great Barrier Reef sea country.

Drone flyover of rehabilitated land

Rock-it Science 

DIN Study Images

Sugar Research Australia 

Pollution control technologies 

Australian Seaweed Institute, Verterra Ecological Engineering Pty Ltd 

Traditional Owner Artwork 

Keisha Leon, Leon Design

RTP acknowledgement 

The water quality program is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. 

Turtle picture 

Jordan Robins / Ocean Image Bank 

Artwork by Melanie Hava, Mamu Aboriginal woman, Dugulbarra and Waribarra family groups, from the Johnstone River catchment of the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland and the adjoining Great Barrier Reef sea country.

The water quality program is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.