Further government funding is essential to reduce agricultural runoff and other pollutants flowing into the marine park’s waters, new analysis finds

Improving water quality on the Great Barrier Reef will cost $785m over the next five years, with further improvements requiring an investment totalling more than $1bn after 2020, according to a new report.

The analysis, compiled by the six regional natural resources management groups that oversee the river catchments that flow into the reef’s waters, found that further funding was “essential” to improve the health of the world heritage-listed ecosystem.

The report warns there is a “fundamental concern to all Great Barrier Reef stakeholders” that the current level of state and federal government funding to protect the reef is insufficient.

According to the analysis, improvement in agricultural practices, such as reducing the amount of chemicals flowing onto the reef, will cost $175m over the next five years.

Ensuring water quality outcomes will cost a further $180m, while repairing systems that deal with pollutants will cost $200m. Further funding for stormwater management and support and education programs make up the rest of the $785m total.

If targets around the amount of pollutants entering the reef are met, they are likely to be increased, requiring more than $1bn of further funding beyond 2020, the report states.

The report calls for a fundamental change in the way farmers use land to ensure the reef isn’t inadvertently harmed, although improving land use practice is “unlikely to be enough” due to environmental damage that has resulted in up to 80% of fresh to brackish wetlands being lost in the wet tropics and Whitsunday areas.

Initiatives backed by the government have seen annual average nitrogen load in rivers decrease by 10% between 2008 and 2013, according to the Reef Report Card, with sediment load falling 11%. Pesticide load fell by 28%, with a third of graziers and half of sugar cane growers adopting improved practices.

However, the report states that more funding will be needed to meet targets set out in the federal and state governments’ long-term sustainability plan, which aims for a 60% reduction in pesticides flowing onto the reef and for 90% of agricultural land to be following best practice.

The long-term plan was drawn up in response to concerns raised by Unesco over the health of the reef, which has lost half of its coral cover in the past 30 years and is deemed to be in “poor” condition by the Great Barrier Reef marine park authority.

The government plan to restore the reef’s fortunes has been criticised by scientists for being inadequate, with little mention of climate change despite it being identified by the marine park authority as the leading threat to the ecosystem.

This latest report by the regional natural resources management groups states that climate change’s impact upon the reef is an “area of very confused public policy”.

A number of government initiatives have targeted the other, more direct, threats to the reef, including pollutants and a plague of coral-eating starfish.

The five-year Reef Rescue program has invested $200m to help reduce run-off of chemicals onto the reef, while the government has a $40m Reef Trust to improve water quality, control the starfish outbreak and protect species such as dugongs and turtles.

The government has pointed to these efforts in intense lobbying efforts to argue the reef should not be listed as “in danger” by Unesco’s world heritage committee later this year.

The World Wildlife Fund said the reef requires funding of “billions not millions” to reverse its decline.

“The reef needs a massive new injection of funds now, backed up by enforceable targets. Repackaging existing commitments will simply not be enough,” said Dermot O’Gorman, chief executive of WWF Australia.

“If done properly, this could be a game changer in our efforts to turn around reef health. We must also ensure that any new investments in the reef’s health are not undermined by destructive activities such as dredging and dumping in the world heritage area.”

A spokesman for Greg Hunt, the federal environment minister, said state and federal governments would be spending $2bn over the next decade to protect the reef.



“Our [federal and Queensland governments] combined investment is significant and we are directing funds where they will have the greatest benefit,” he said. “We are committed to ensuring the Great Barrier Reef can be enjoyed by future generations.



“In addition to significant financial investment, we’ve taken deep and powerful steps to improve water quality. The most significant step being the banning of capital dredge disposal in the marine park – something Labor never did.”

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation was contacted for comment.