$4.5 million to fund reef research and boost coastal communities

Coastal communities adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef are set to benefit from new science projects aimed at preserving our diverse marine environment and the jobs it provides.The projects will be funded through the Coalition Government’s $145 million National Environmental Science Program and includes:

• $482,947 to evaluate the costs and benefits of agricultural land conversion to wetlands in the Reef Catchments and Wet Tropics NRM regions
• $607,000 for evaluation of best coral recovery and restoration techniques in the Whitsundays, Townsville and Cairns
• $582,218 to identify the traits of key coral populations that survived bleaching events in Central and Northern Great Barrier Reef regions for protection and potential breeding stock
• $350,000 to help standardise guidelines for analysis of cumulative impacts and risks to the Great Barrier Reef
• $401,855 for study of the impacts of shipping noise on marine animals nationally to improve understanding and management
• $638,037 for a guidance system to provide resilience-based management to maximise reef health options in the Whitsunday region as well as the Cairns, Capricorn and Bunker regions
• $299,583 for recommendations on strengthening and protective key supportive reef species
• $100,000 for a study to determine why there is not more participation in indigenous coral reef tourism in Queensland coastal regions
• $600,000 for a project to work with farmers on localised hot-spot water quality monitoring in regional Queensland
• $26,470 for a study of organic carbon utilisation by microalgae and the implications for the Great Barrier Reef
• $404,985 to measure cost effectiveness of, and enabling factors for the continuation of, programs for reducing nitrogen runoff in the cane industry

The Government is funding practical and applied research that supports good decision-making for on-ground environmental outcomes.This new research will benefit not only the environment as a whole, but also our regional community.I look forward to welcoming researchers to our beautiful part of the country during 2018.The National Environmental Science Program connects scientists, decision-makers, Indigenous people and communities to deliver research for practical environmental solutions.More information about the National Environmental Science Program can be found online at http://www.environment.gov.au/science/nesp.