Mackay Whitsunday Regional Water Quality Strategy
Reef Catchments has released a new 10-year roadmap for improving water quality across the Mackay Whitsunday region — from the health of our creeks and wetlands to the condition of the Great Barrier Reef itself.
Our region covers just 2% of the Reef's catchment area, but it's home to 20% of its coastline, over 500km² of seagrass meadows, more than 3,000km² of coral reef, and nationally significant wetlands like the Goorganga Plains. What happens on the land here has a real, measurable effect on the water — and on the Reef.
The Water Quality Strategy sets out how we can improve that picture over the next decade. It was developed with C2O Consulting and the University of Queensland, drawing on strong science and input from landholders, industry, councils and Traditional Owners across the region's four catchments.
Three resources are available below: the full Strategy, the technical Synthesis Report behind it, and a summary flyer covering the key points.
Water Quality Strategy 2025–2035
The Mackay Whitsunday Regional Water Quality Strategy 2025–2035 is our 10-year roadmap for improving water quality across the region's waterways, wetlands and reef. It sets basin-by-basin priorities and practical actions for landholders, councils, industry and community.
Summary Flyer
A summary flyer covering the key points of the Water Quality Strategy in plain language — why it matters, what it will do, and how you can get involved.
Synthesis Report
The Synthesis Report is the technical evidence base behind the Strategy. It brings together the science on water quality, ecosystem condition and land use across the region's four catchments, and explains the data and modelling behind the Strategy's priorities.
How this fits the bigger picture
The Strategy is designed to align with the Queensland and Australian governments' Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy — the reef-wide plan our region's work feeds into. Progress across the whole Reef is tracked through the Reef Water Quality Report Card, and the on-ground work our Strategy guides — streambank repair, revegetation, sustainable farming practices — is part of what drives those reef-wide results.
Get involved
Every land manager, Traditional Owner group, council, industry body, government agency and community organisation in the Mackay Whitsunday region has a role to play. Read the Strategy or the summary flyer to find out where your part fits in.
To find out more, or to connect with delivery programs in your area, contact Reef Catchments on (07) 4968 4200.