When Len Parisi's granddad came to far north Queensland in 1929 to start cane farming, he was handed an axe and told to get to work.

Key points: Far north Queensland cane farmer, Len Parisi, wins a Reef Champion award for his work in protecting the Great Barrier Reef

Far north Queensland cane farmer, Len Parisi, wins a Reef Champion award for his work in protecting the Great Barrier Reef Mr Parisi says in his grandfather's day trees were bulldozed to plant cane, but times have changed

Mr Parisi says in his grandfather's day trees were bulldozed to plant cane, but times have changed The cane farmer has planted 7,500 trees and is restoring a wetland to catch nutrient run-off into the reef

As the story goes, he asked "Which trees do I cut down?" The answer: all of them.

"The old system was put it under cane at all costs. Bulldoze wherever, knock it all down … well, those days are gone," Mr Parisi said.

"Times are a'changing. The younger generation is more advanced, we definitely want to do a better job than we did in the past."

To achieve that goal, Mr Parisi embarked on an ambitious revegetation project on his Fishery Falls cane farm, around 40 kilometres south of Cairns, in partnership with non-for-profit environmental group Greening Australia and local volunteers from Mulgrave Landcare.

It's possibly the biggest-ever restoration of a cane farm in the Great Barrier Reef catchment, with 7,500 trees completing a riparian and wildlife corridor and establishing the Mulgrave-Russell River catchment as one of the very few to have continuous trees along its creeks and tributaries.

Where Mr Parisi's forefathers once drained and cleared the land to plant cane, the enterprising cane grower is now devising ways to restore the wetland and retain water by building a lagoon. It will act as a large filter, allowing sediment and nutrients to settle to the bottom before flowing through to the river system and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef.

The changed landscape is clearly a source of pride to Mr Parisi, as he lists the many native species including barramundi, rainbow fish, two resident crocodiles swimming in the lagoon, and more than 40 birds known to frequent the area.

"We're trying to leave this place in a better position than when we found it," he said.

A NASA satellite image shows run-off flooding into Princess Charlotte Bay in far north Queensland. ( Supplied: NASA )

'We're in paradise here'

Greening Australia's project officer Lisa O'Mara said it was a "no brainer" for her organisation to work with farmers and Landcare to protect the reef.

Other groups such as Sugar Research Australia, BirdLife NQ and TropWater had also been engaged to monitor and measure the outcomes against 'real data' with a view to validating the value of using trees, in combination with a constructed wetland, to control and limit sediment and nutrient run-off.

"I think it's really hard for cane farmers. You can see there's a lot of pressure on them," Ms O'Mara said.

"They really do love their environment, though, it's very obvious, and they really would like to do more — but they need that support.

"We're in paradise here and we have so much to protect, and I'm just so glad to be a part of it."

Cane growers Tony Rossi and Len Parisi with Greening Australia's Lisa O'Mara, enjoying the shade of one of 7,500 trees planted on Mr Parisi's farm in far north Queensland. ( ABC Rural: Charlie McKillop )

With change, comes resistance

Mr Parisi's environmental stewardship has earned him the major gong at the 2019 Reef Champion Awards, acknowledging the efforts of farmers and others working in the agricultural sector to protect the reef and coastal systems.

Both Federal and Queensland Environment Ministers acknowledged the achievements made when farmers, advisers, and community work together — but it hasn't been an easy path for growers against the politically charged backdrop of Queensland's new reef regulations.

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Farmers have not only copped the brunt of the debate about the health of the Great Barrier Reef, but also criticism from within their own ranks.

Not every cane grower is as willing as Mr Parisi to hand over farmland, no matter how marginal, for the environment.

"You've got to cop the comments from other growers beside you when they say 'We can grow cane, why can't you grow cane down here'?" he said.

"I think we're pioneering something here. It's a bit of a load on my shoulders sometimes, the weight of it. [But] I know we're going in the right direction."

Run-off from farms after heavy rain in north Queensland sends nutrients into the Great Barrier Reef. ( Supplied: Matt Curnock/TropWATER JCU )

Chairman of the local Mulgrave Landcare Group, Tony Rossi, said the revegetation project would become a showcase to the rest of industry and community — and not just for altruistic reasons.

"Instead of allowing the crop to get rank or become a rat haven, Lenny's made a business decision to plant trees," Mr Rossi said.

"Last thing we're saying is take your productive land and do this, but every farmer's probably got these marginal corners and little corridors and, to us, it should be part of core business."

Mr Rossi and his cane farming family at Aloomba were also recognised in the Reef Champion awards for making and using compost on their farm to reduce their need for inorganic nitrogen fertiliser by 30 per cent, as well as using multispecies fallow cropping, green harvesting, trash blanketing, and subsurface fertiliser application to improve soil biology.

"We've all grown up on the banks of the Mulgrave River with a love for this land and this is our office. This is where we get to spend our days and if you're not touched by the natural surrounds, there's something missing," Mr Rossi said.

"I know some farmers see Lenny and us as making a rod for us all, but we're doing things because we believe it's the right thing to do."

He said, instead of resisting change, growers should be proactive in the way his forebearers were.

"They tell us our grandfathers and uncles would be saddened at what we're doing, but I know they wouldn't be," Mr Rossi said.

"They were men doing the right thing at that time. [But] now things have changed and expectations have changed. I know they'd be proud of us."