Landscape Repair Program

Large-scale landscape improvements in priority catchments.

The Project

Title: Mackay Whitsunday Isaac (MWI) Landscape Repair Program (LRP)
Duration: 2024 – 2030
Funding: Australian Government Reef Trust

This program is one of six projects being funded as part of a $200 million initiative put forward by the Australian Government aimed at remediating landscapes across Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment areas.

Summary: This program focuses on delivering large-scale landscape improvements in priority catchments. The program aims to meet its goals by restoring eroding gully systems, rehabilitating streambanks, addressing hillslope erosion and improving groundcover through grazing land management.

Objective:
Reduce fine sediment export to the GBR, with a local target of reducing 18 kilotonnes of fine sediment loss from the MWI region by June 2030. This program scales-up water quality investment and continues to deliver the objectives of the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP 2050).

Priorities

The core priority of this program is to improve water quality by reducing fine sediment loads being exported into the GBR lagoon from adjacent catchments.

A secondary outcome of this program is to build local capacity through improving skills and knowledge with a goal to achieve sustainable outcomes into the future. Hence, a key component of the project is to invest in local contractors, companies, landholders and stakeholders to build a consortium of delivery partners working effectively to improve local water quality.

The key social priorities to achieve this include:

First Nations peoples reconnected to the country by sourcing, supporting and developing First Nations-owned and operated businesses.
Prioritising and upskilling local contractors to implement remediation works ensuring investment into local businesses and communities, and
Working with graziers to implement best practice grazing land management activities on-farm and provide opportunities for education through extension, grants and education.

MWI stakeholders engaging in a workshop which focused on building understanding of streambank remediation approaches.

Project Strategy

MWI Landscape Repair Program supports three streambank intervention types, including:

Engineered works to stabilise erosion hotspots and improve riverbank integrity,
Revegetation and weed control to strengthen riparian connectivity and resilience, and
Riparian fencing and weed control to exclude stock from vulnerable waterways.

Additionally, on adjacent grazing land to streambank investment the landholders will be able to access support for implementing improved grazing land management (GLM) projects. Including access to:

Education and extension,
Property planning, pasture budgeting and mapping support, and
Grants to help accelerate improved grazing practices.

This will be a targeted investment program focusing on high-priority sites, including locations within critical catchments for water quality improvement and/or large fine sediment-exporting areas.

Mid-stage construction of a pile field remediation site funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust’s Landscape Repair program on the O'Connell River. — Mid-stage construction of a pile field remediation site funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust’s Landscape Repair program on the O’Connell River.

Figure 4 - Revegetation site funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust’s Landscape Repair program along lower Murray Creek. — Figure 4 – Revegetation site funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust’s Landscape Repair program along lower Murray Creek.

This project is an exciting opportunity for stakeholders within the MWI region who meet the selection criteria for Reef Trust investment, which is based on cost-effective sediment sayings to the Great Barrier Reef. Contact the Waterways team for more information about potential participation.