The Whitsunday Water Quality Monitoring Blueprint for Tourism Operators project aims to increase understanding of water quality and reef health in the Whitsundays.
Tourism operators in the Whitsundays are collecting data for this citizen science project to keep track of the water quality in their area. This project extends on existing marine monitoring programs in the Whitsundays by collecting data at two of the key tourism locations in the area.
Program results to date
Understanding water quality measurements
What is the data telling us so far? Update October 2020
What is the data telling us so far? Update December 2020
What is the data telling us so far? Update March 2021
The tourism community has a vested interest in the long-term health and functionality of the Great Barrier Reef, and they are well-positioned and willing to lead solution-based monitoring, and effectively communicate water quality results.
Water quality is one of the Whitsunday tourism industry’s ongoing challenges. At peak times our region carries more visitation to the Great Barrier Reef than any other on the east Australian coast, so it is vital we understand what is happening at our inshore island reefs.
Establishing baseline data through this water quality monitoring project will empower us to make the best possible management decisions for the benefit of the environment, a sustainable tourism industry, and the one million visitors a year we welcome to our section of the Great Barrier Reef.
Sharon Smallwood, executive secretary of the WCBIA.
Four participating tourism operators have been trained by scientists from James Cook University (JCU) in how to take water quality samples. The program method builds on the extensive water quality monitoring that JCU has been undertaking over many years with North Queensland Bulk Ports across three ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Tourism operators, JCU, Reef Catchments and the Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association deployed two loggers on 4 February 2020. Tourism operators will maintain data loggers and take water quality samples every four weeks until the project ends in June 2021.
This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and North Queensland Bulk Ports, with support from Reef Catchments, Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association, James Cook University, Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership and the Whitsunday Bareboat Operators Association.
There are a number of articipating tourism operators including Ocean Rafting, Red Cat Adventures, True Blue Sailing and Southern Cross Sailing Adventures.
We also thank Tallship Adventures, Coral Sea Marina and South Pacific Yachting for the assistance with this project.
This is a current project.
