Archives for August 2018

Mackay and the Whitsundays lead International Year of Reef (IYOR) action

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Theo the Turtle with friend at Salonika Beach.
Aaron Horsey from Cleanwater Group with Reef Catchments mascot Theo the turtle at Salonika Beach

Twenty-one small steps for Mackay and the Whitsundays, one giant leap for our reef.

Twenty-one diverse organisations in Mackay and the Whitsundays are paving the way to change for International Year of the Reef (IYOR).

From local council, to conservation, to coal – all sectors have come together under the umbrella of the Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership to pledge their own International Year of Reef initiatives.

The campaign sees the local Mackay Whitsunday region take a lead in championing reef-driven collaborative action.

“From reducing single-use plastic and food waste in the office, to investing in Great Barrier Reef science and research – pledges are as diverse and varied as the Partnership itself,” said Charlie Morgan, executive officer of the Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.

“This campaign shows a real energy and commitment to collaborative action for the Reef from the Mackay Whitsunday region.

“This is locally-led, local groups and industry proactively looking at changes and contributions they can make to the bigger reef picture.”

Pledges were formally announced at an August event at Salonika Beach where six of 40 new Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) have recently been installed. Details of the pledges can be viewed at: https://healthyriverstoreef.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/our-partner-pledges_visual-rep_iyor2018.pdf

Ms Morgan said: “The site highlights a commitment from Mackay Regional Council and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal to reduce the amount of litter and plastic entering our waterways, through the installation and use of Gross Pollutant Traps.

“Theo the turtle mascot was there on the day to help empty the traps and explore some of the common litter that can end up in the sea, where it impacts marine life like turtles.”

Mackay Regional Councillor Karen May said council was proud to support the Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.

“We understand that as a council, we need to play our part in protecting the reef,” she said.

“Our pledges support our commitment to improve the health of the Region’s waterways. There are currently 252 GPTs located in the City Centre as well as the townships of Walkerston, Marian, Mirani, Slade Point, Hay Point, Salonika Beach and Sarina,” Cr May said.

“They have proven extremely effective in reducing the amount of waste that enters our waterways, which flow out to the Great Barrier Reef.

“Over the last three and a half years, over 47 m3 of rubbish has been captured in these traps.”

Following the success of this project, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal recently partnered with council to install 40 new traps in the Hay Point, Salonika Beach and Sarina areas.

“The more traps we have around the region, the less waste that ends up in our waterways,” Cr. May explained.

“We commend DBCT for their positive contribution to our environment and the Great Barrier Reef and look forward to working with them on more projects in the future.”

FAQs

Gross pollutant traps – what do the traps catch?

Any litter or rubbish that would otherwise head to sea through street drains. Monitoring of current gross pollutant traps in Mackay’s CBD show some of the common culprits can include – bubble wrap, plastic food packets (wrap, packets, containers etc), plastic drink bottles (water, juice, milk or soft drink), plastic non-food containers (oil, sealant, chemical etc), straws, cup lids and tops, styrofoam, and cigarette butts.

Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership – what is it?

The Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (HR2RP) is a Partnership of local organisations committed to a shared, community-led approach to the long-term management of Mackay-Whitsunday waterways and marine environments. The Partnership is responsible for the annual waterway health report card for our region.
Our involved partners are taking action to improve regional water quality.
Visit http://www.healthyriverstoreef.org.au

IYOR – the significance  

2018 is International Year of the Reef (IYOR). This is the third International IYOR, it takes place roughly every 10 years. Everyone – regardless of where they live – can help take action to look after the environment and more sustainably manage resources, which will ultimately help reefs.
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/international-year-of-the-reef-2018

Combating climate challenges the focus at Mackay field day

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Robert Quirk, Simon Mattsson, and Craig Doyle.
From left, Robert Quirk, Simon Mattsson, Craig Doyle

Around 65 local farmers turned out to see the latest in innovative climate smart farming practices at a field day at Marian on Sunday. The event “Climate, Cane and Carbon” was co-hosted by Reef Catchments and Farmers for Climate Action.

Local cane grower and Nuffield Scholar Simon Mattsson shared his family farm with a shed full of his industry peers and discussed multi species cropping, improving organic carbon levels in their soil and the latest science and research on climate and cane farming in the Mackay region.

Keynote speaker and deputy chair of the Australian Cane Farmers Association, Robert Quirk, spoke about the need for the community to understand the risk of inaction on climate change and the opportunities for cane farmers to adapt and mitigate climate damage and improve productivity at the same time. He said: “Growing cane with a focus on carbon retention is one of the best ways to get carbon out of the air and into the soil and offers a range of benefits for  producers including moisture retention, higher production and less input costs.”

Growers meet in Simon Mattsson's shed.

CEO of Mackay Regional Council, Craig Doyle, talked through council’s plans to transition to renewable energy and the economic benefits of making the switch.

Mr Doyle said: “A few years ago the council invested $2m in distributed solar energy and this year is the third year of the project. Ratepayers will save around $300,000 on council energy bills and starting next year saving will be around half a million dollars per year over the life the project.”

Event organisers, Farmers for Climate Action, Reef Catchments, Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Conservation Group and the farmer-led Central Queensland Soil Health System Group, joined forces to address climate challenges, improving soil health and carbon capture and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers for Climate Action Queensland Co-ordinator Michael Kane said it was terrific to see the interest in climate smart farming practices, as well as what rural and regional towns can do to ensure the future sustainability of their regions.

“There was so much interest in the event we had to stop accepting RSVPs. Farmers in the Mackay region are hungry for information about improving soils, carbon sequestration and climate change,” Mr Kane said.

“Dangerous climate change poses great risks for agriculture in the Mackay region and farmers are very concerned about that, farmers are keen  to talk about mitigating climate risk and obviously they are also interested in the production benefits of carbon farming as well,” said Mr Kane. “It is a win for the environment and farmers.”

Richard Prior, a local grower and member of Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, attended the event. He said: “It was good to get off farm to hear new ideas and farming practices. I want to build soil carbon on my place as it is a good measure of soil health and I am keen to learn more about how to to that.”

Reef Catchments regional agriculture landcare facilitator, Juliane Kasiske said it was a very successful day and Reef Catchments are looking forward to holding similar events in the region in partnership with local growers and community groups.

“Assisting local cane growers to improve production methods and achieve environmental outcomes is always very rewarding,” said Ms Kasiske.

Highlights from the Soil Health Innovation Tour 2018

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Nine members of Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, along with a group of 19 growers from Far North Queensland, attended a Soil Health Innovation Tour in March 2018. Agroecologist, David Hardwick from Soil Land Food travelled with the group to provide interpretation of the on-farm practices.

A visit to the Environmental Analysis Laboratory EAL provided insight into soil analysis techniques.There are differing methods for soil analysis and it is important to know the different methods offered by one laboratory in comparison to another. Laboratories set their parameters at low, acceptable, and high, according to the importance placed on soluble nutrient availability and or biological function.

The recommendations provided by their agronomists for quantities of mineral inputs may differ depending on this. You shouldn’t be too reliant on one soil test, especially on large properties where soil tests represent large potentially diverse soil types. The message is build up a database overtime, test, test and test again. You will be able to see trends overtime rather than being reliant on one set of data which may not be entirely reflective of the conditions, it’s just a snapshot in time.

Another stop, Bingara Living Classroom provides a diversity of functioning regenerative techniques to observe. Specifically, cover cropping was the focus of discussions here. Plant diversity is essential for creating soil health. There are many ways to create plant diversity. The common practise of growing mono-cultures and at most two mono-cultures per year in a field, is simply not enough plant diversity. Those farmers pushing the envelope try for 3 to 4 mono-cultures per field but even this isn’t enough to actually improve soil biological function and therefore soil health. Instead of this many rotations you could look at options like dual cropping (growing two crops together) or a multi-species cover crop, to put that necessary plant diversity into a field.

Kalfresh at Kalbar are one of the largest carrot producers in the Southern hemisphere. They have transitioned over the past 5 years from conventional agriculture systems to using regenerative techniques, like creating their own compost. The take home message here was one of validation, the change from conventional systems to regenerative systems with a soil health focus will take time. Maybe 3-4 years or 5-6 years however the benefits in the long term do pay off.

Finally, on this journey to soil health most farmers you will meet on this path will be willing to share their knowledge and mistakes with you so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but the principles are few. The man who grasps the principles can successfully select his own method”.