About Us

The $200 million Caring for our Country Reef Rescue program seeks to reduce the amount of nutrients, chemicals and sediments entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) by assisting farmers and graziers in Reef catchments to adopt land management practices that improve the quality of the water leaving their properties.

A key component of Reef Rescue is the AU $9 million Reef Rescue Water Quality Research and Development program (Reef Rescue R&D) to improve our understanding of the link between land management practices and environmental impacts.

Reef Rescue R&D was launched in 2010 and its eighteen projects, which cover key Reef Rescue investment priorities, will be completed in late 2013.

These priorities include:

  • Land management practices that improve water quality outcomes in the sugarcane, grazing, horticulture and dairy sectors;
  • The cost - effectiveness of implementing land management practices that have water quality benefits;
  • The factors affecting practice adoption across industries and regions;
  • The impact of pesticides on water quality in the GBR; and
  • Improved techniques for monitoring and reporting the success of water quality investments in the GBR catchments.

Reef Rescue R&D is supported through initiatives such as the National Environmental Research Program Tropical Ecosystems Hub and various programs under the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan including Paddock to Reef (P2R). The Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC) has been engaged to coordinate and integrate Reef Rescue R&D with other complimentary research.

Reef Rescue R&D welcomes your inquiries, please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring +61 (0)7 4050 7400.