Queensland
Pressures on Queensland's marine environment vary between different regions and are often linked to the land uses that occur in the catchment. Overall, sediment, nutrients and pesticides are the major catchment pressures that broadly impact our marine environments, but these vary in their relative importance in different areas. Emerging threats from micro- and macro-plastics and litter that washes down rivers and into the sea threaten marine biodiversity are under consideration. Some of the Great Barrier Reef catchments (Mackay Whitsunday and Wet Tropics) report on these pressures.
For a full assessment of the report cards please refer to the region summary by filtering on the Map. Overall, the common drivers affecting marine ecosystem, monitored as part of the regional report card program from 2020 to 2024 are: climate change, climate variability, population growth and economic growth.
In Southeast Queensland, the major pressures affecting marine ecosystem health are sediment and the long-term loss of riparian or riverbank vegetation, exacerbated by climate change and population growth.
The Great Barrier Reef Catchment marine ecosystems continue to be in poor condition. This is largely due to the collective impacts of:
- land run-off associated with past and ongoing catchment development
- coastal development activities
- extreme weather events
- climate change impacts, such as coral bleaching
The pressure on marine ecosystems is monitored by two distinct initiatives: Reef Water Quality Report Card and Regional report cards. Both of these initiatives occur within the Great Barrier Reef catchments, waterways and marine areas informing management decisions to improve water quality and ecosystem health.
- The reef water quality report card evaluates and reports on progress towards the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (Reef 2050 WQIP) targets, objectives and long-term outcomes on a range of scales including paddock, sub-catchment, catchment, regional and Great Barrier Reef wide.
- The Regional Report Cards are distinct from the Reef Water Quality Report Card in that they report on local waterway condition at a finer regional level as well as reporting on a range of indicators across the different regions such as social, cultural, economic health and stewardship. Regional Report Card partnerships are one of a number of activities under the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050). The regional report cards also extend outside of the Great Barrier Reef catchments to the Southeast Queensland region.
The report cards named in the Queensland State of the Environment Report refer to the year of the report card’s release, which may differ from the year given in the report card title or the year data group shown on regional report card partnership websites. Only the data for regional report cards released before 30 June 2024 is included.
The five regional report cards within the Great Barrier Reef Catchment include:
| Natural Resource Managment Region | Regional Report Card Partnership |
|---|---|
| Wet Tropics | Wet Tropics Waterways Partnership |
| Burdekin (city of Townsville region only) | Healthy Waters Partnership - Dry Tropics |
| Mackay Whitsunday | Mackay–Whitsunday–Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership |
| Fitzroy | Fitzroy Partnership for River Health |
| Gladstone Harbour * Not a NRM region | Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership |
The remaining regional report card outside of the Great Barrier Reef catchment is:
| Natural Resource Management Region | Regional Report Card Partnership |
|---|---|
| Southeast Queensland | Healthy Land and Water Report Card |
More information:
© Queensland Government
