6.5.3 Implications of land-based runoff for regional communities

Pollution is perceived as the second major threat to the Reef 1075 (Figure 9.1). Coastal residents are substantially more concerned about plastic pollution than other types, mostly because their experiences are often limited to local beaches where the most visible threat is marine debris.1075,1074 

A photo of colourful artwork showing part of a reef scene, with corals and fish, all created from discarded fishing nets and rope.
Artwork made from ghost net and beach found rope: 'Beach Journal' (detail). Ghostnet Collective 2021 © Lynnette Griffiths and Marion Gaemers. Image © Chloe Schauble 2021

Both aesthetic and economic values can be degraded by pollution and poor water quality, primarily through decreases in tourism visitation and shoreline and water-based recreational activities.1066,1168 For example, it is estimated that failing to reduce pollution from sediments can severely affect tourism in the Mackay Whitsunday region, with significant impacts on the local economy, potentially threatening hundreds of jobs.1938

Aesthetics and economic values can be degraded by pollution and poor water quality

Regional communities along the Reef consider improved land management to improve water quality as one of the main interventions for managing the Reef.1075,1159 Government and community members, particularly farmers, continue to invest in and implement programs that improve water quality by reducing nutrients, sediments and pesticides entering the Reef lagoon. These programs include voluntary adoption of improved agricultural practices driven by Reef protection regulation requirements and compliance.1825 These programs also include the delivery of voluntary incentives that rely on non-government partners, particularly regional natural resource management organisations and agricultural industry peak bodies.1939 

In 2023, evidence indicates that practice change has occurred among producers since implementation of the Reef protection regulations.1940 Many producers consider the regulations have increased awareness of the impacts of nutrients and sediment on the Reef and acted as a catalyst for change towards more progressive and sustainable farm practices. However, adoption of new practices may be affected by the producers’ perceptions, attitudes, goals and motivations.1940,1941 This includes general scepticism about the need for the Reef protection regulations and a resistance to being regulated, mistrust in government and the evidence base for the regulations, and a belief that government officials do not understand farming.1940  Research into how to navigate these challenges is ongoing.1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947

  • 1066. Marshall, N., Marshall, P., Curnock, M., Pert, P., Smith, A., et al. 2019, Identifying indicators of aesthetics in the Great Barrier Reef for the purposes of management, PloS One 14(2): e0210196.
  • 1074. Thiault, L., Curnock, M.I., Gurney, G.G., Heron, S.F., Marshall, N.A., Bohensky, E., Nakamura, N., Pert, P.L., Claudet, J. 2021, Convergence of stakeholders’ environmental threat perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, Conservation Biology 35(2): 598-609.
  • 1075. Hobman, E. V., Mankad, A., Pert, P. L., van Putten, I., Fleming-Muñoz, D., Curnock, M. 2022, Monitoring social and economic indicators among residents of the Great Barrier Reef region in 2021: a report from the Social and Economic Long-term Monitoring Program (SELTMP) for the Great Barrier Reef, CSIRO Land and Water, Australia.
  • 1159. Curnock, M.I., Pert, P.L., Maharjan, D., Gordon, B. and Kaniewska, P. 2022, Design and implementation of social surveys for Regional Report Cards in the Great Barrier Reef catchment., CSIRO Land and Water, Townsville.
  • 1168. Pert, P.L., Thiault, L., Curnock, M.I., Becken, S. and Claudet, J. 2020, Beauty and the reef: evaluating the use of non-expert ratings for monitoring aesthetic values of coral reefs, Science of the Total Environment 730: 139156.
  • 1938. De Valck, J. and Rolfe, J. 2018, Linking water quality impacts and benefits of ecosystem services in the Great Barrier Reef, Marine Pollution Bulletin 130: 55-66.
  • 1939. Taylor, B.M., Eberhard, R. 2020, Practice change, participation and policy settings: a review of social and institutional conditions influencing water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef, Ocean & Coastal Management 190: 105156.
  • 1940. Department of Environment Science and Innovation 2024, Statutory review of the Reef protection regulations, Queensland Government.
  • 1941. Taylor, B.M. and Eberhard, R. 2020, Practice change, participation and policy settings: A review of social and institutional conditions influencing water quality outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef, Ocean & Coastal Management 190: 105156.
  • 1942. Shawky, S., Rundle-Thiele, S. and David, P. 2023, What enables and prevents sugarcane growing practice change? A review of publicly available sources for practice change projects, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 30(3-4): 327-347.
  • 1943. Davis, A.M., Webster, A.J., Fitch, P., Fielke, S., Taylor, B.M., et al. 2021, The changing face of science communication, technology, extension and improved decision-making at the farm-water quality interface, Marine Pollution Bulletin 169: 112534.
  • 1944. Buckwell, A., Ribbeck, M., Dyke, J., Smart, J. and Edeson, G. 2023, Identifying innovation discourses for nitrogen management in the sugarcane sector in Great Barrier Reef catchments using Q-methodology, Marine Pollution Bulletin 191: 114851.
  • 1945. Dean, A.J., Eberhard, R., Baresi, U., Coggan, A., Deane, F., et al. 2023, Scrutinizing the impact of policy instruments on adoption of agricultural conservation practices using Bayesian expert models, Conservation Letters 16(6): e12988.
  • 1946. Coggan, A., Hay, R., Jarvis, D., Eberhard, R. and Colls, B. 2024, Increasing uptake of improved land management practice to benefit environment and landholders: insights through a transaction cost lens, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 67(5): 1053-1076.
  • 1947. Fielke, S., Taylor, B.M., Coggan, A., Jakku, E., Davis, A.M., et al. 2022, Understanding power, social capital and trust alongside near real-time water quality monitoring and technological development collaboration, Journal of Rural Studies 92: 120-131.