Queensland government study shows current funding is far less than what is needed to meet environmental targets and avoid reef being placed on Unesco watch list

Attempting to fix the water qualityfor the Great Barrier Reef will cost $8.2bn in the next decade but even then some of the targets will be impossible to meet, according to a landmark report commissioned by the Queensland government.

The targets are part of the federal government’s Reef 2050 Plan, the implementation of which is required by Unesco in order for the reef to avoid being included on the world heritage in danger list. Currently, state and federal governments are spending less than a tenth of what the report finds is required.

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The conclusions are part of the government’s final Water Science Taskforce report, and associated costings study. It only addresses water quality issues and not warming, which was responsible for killing almost a quarter of the coral on the Great Barrier Reef this year. Improving water quality is expected to give the coral a better chance of recovering from bleaching.

The final costings amount to about half that of a draft version of the report leaked to the ABC, but are roughly in line with independent analysis published in a scientific journal in May.

The costing report notes that “policy solution sets to meet the regional Reef 2050 Plan targets for the GBR requires a significant increase in investment from current levels”.

The report notes that farms are the major source of pollution for the Great Barrier Reef, and identifies seven policy “solution sets”, including improving management practices for cane farmers and graziers; remediating gullies; completely shifting the land use for some areas; and improving urban stormwater management.

It found that the currently available policy solutions, even with the suggested level of investment, will not be able to meet all the targets because they “cannot be applied widely enough, or they simply cannot address the scale of load reductions”. As a result, new policy actions will need to be considered, it said.

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The report notes that farms in the relevant areas employ about 35,000 people and contribute $3.7bn to the economy each year. Meanwhile, industries relying on the Great Barrier Reef employ twice than number of people and contribute about $6bn to the economy each year.

It makes 10 broad policy recommendations, all of which the Queensland government either agreed to, or agreed to “in principle”.

Queensland environment minister, Steven Miles, said: “The recommendations set the stage for a bold new era of reform in water quality improvement and that is what we will deliver.”

“We have agreed, or agreed in principle, to also review the reef water quality targets, better communicate how everyone can improve reef water quality, use incentives to drive water quality improvements, pursue targeted regulatory approaches, develop a strategic investment plan, and simplify and strengthen governance arrangements.”

Miles said some of the recommendations will require further consultation or collaboration with the federal government.

The report was welcomed by WWF spokesman Sean Hoobin.

““We congratulate the Queensland Government for commissioning this historic report. It’s the most detailed and comprehensive assessment ever undertaken of what it will cost to save the Reef,” Hoobin said.

“This report confirms that the money committed so far by Australia falls far short of what’s required,” he said.