Queensland
For a full assessment of the report cards please refer to the region summary by filtering on the Map. An overview of findings of the regional report card program from 2020 to 2024 are:
- Southeast Queensland waterway condition have generally remained stable or improved, except in four catchments. Sediment flowing to the region’s estuaries continues to be a major issue for aquatic ecosystem health.
- The Burdekin, Fitzroy, Mackay Whitsunday and Wet Tropics regions have generally improved ranging from moderate to good waterway condition. The Wet Tropics Daintree sub-catchment is an exception, which has remained in very good waterway condition.
The condition of aquatic ecosystems is monitored and reported 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.
Q-catchments is a state-wide program that assesses the risk of threats to the condition of freshwater ecosystems in Queensland's river basins. There are 20 river basins that have been assessed from 2012 to 2018 being: Archer, Bullo, Burdekin, Coleman, Ducie, Endeavour, Holroyd, Jacky Jacky, Jadine, Jeanie, Lake Eyre, Lockhart, Nebine, Normanby, Olive-Pascoe, Paroo, Queensland Eastern Murry Darling, Stewart, Warrego and Wenlock. The findings of these assessments were reported by the previous State of the Environment Reports, although do not form part of the current State of the Environment Report.
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
