Policy options for Great Barrier Reef water quality

Abstract

Ecosystem protection in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is a multifaceted problem compounded by susceptibility to land use impacts. Policy to manage diffuse agricultural pollution is required for sustainable natural resource use. Difficulty in measuring individual pollution contributions increases the complexity of policy design. Selected policy options suggested by the Productivity Commission to address fertiliser and chemical use in catchments draining into the Great Barrier Reef are reviewed. Choosing policy options, setting water quality targets, and designing implementation require community participation, primarily because of the location-specific expertise that resides in natural resource management groups.