Spatial and temporal monitoring of farm practices in Great Barrier Reef catchments

Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under increasing threat from climate change, extreme weather events, and land-based runoff (sediments, nutrients, and pesticides). The major contributor of loads of these pollutants are the agricultural production systems in river catchments adjacent to the GBR. These agricultural land uses comprise approximately 14,000 farms which manage ~370,000 km2 or 80% of the total land area. The governments of Australia and Queensland have invested significant public funds in improving how farms are managed with the aim of decreasing pollutant loads and improving water quality in the GBR lagoon. The Paddock to Reef program monitors the adoption of farm management practices within these catchments, for the five main agricultural land uses (beef cattle grazing, and cropping of grains, sugarcane, bananas, and other horticultural crops). Paddock to Reef manages a geographic information system (GIS) based system to track farm management changes spatially, and over time. Between 2014 and 2021, Paddock to Reef has recorded management attributes on more than 50,000 km2 of farmland in the highest priority areas of the GBR catchments. The purpose of these data is to enable independent, science-based assessment of the potential water quality impacts of the many programs and projects aiming to improve farm management. This paper summarises unique features of Paddock to Reef’s monitoring and evaluation effort, the main limitations, and possible future enhancements