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The Reef Water Quality Partnership Scientific Advisory Panel

Image of the SAP courtesy of the GBRMPA

The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) was set up in November 2006 to support the work of the Reef Water Quality Partnership (RWQP). They meet quarterly to provide independent scientific advice to the RWQP Management Committee.

There are 16 members of the SAP with a broad range of expertise, including marine and freshwater ecology, ecological risk assessment, land management, water quality monitoring, water quality modelling, social science, resource economics and science communication. Members are not only from within Reef catchments and other areas of Queensland, but also from other parts of Australia and other countries.

The inclusion of socio-economic perspectives in April 2007 broadened the scope of the SAP. The diversity of the SAP’s membership enables the consideration of issues from all perspectives, so that advice provided to the Management Committee is comprehensive, well-balanced and independent.

The SAP is chaired by Professor Barry Hart, director of Water Science Pty Ltd and Emeritus Professor at Monash University. Professor Hart has led the SAP in seeking answers to questions critical to the success of Reef Plan, including:

What levels of water quality do we need to protect coral reefs and seagrass beds?
How is reef water quality related to catchment management?
If we adopt best management practices in agricultural industries, will that be good enough to improve water quality?
How do we measure progress in large catchments when the flood events that impact reefs only occur every few years?
What is the relationship between changes in land management practices and the state of corals, reefs and seagrass beds?

SAP members agree that finding the answers to these questions is important, not only for Reef Plan but for the ongoing protection of water quality beyond 2013. The advice from the SAP will assist in determining the most appropriate management and tools to facilitate successful implementation of priority actions in Reef Plan relating to target setting, monitoring and reporting.

The Management Committee identifies priority issues for the SAP; for example, information is needed to explain to the community and landholders what is happening with Reef water quality, and how changes in water quality can be recognised.

The SAP helps to integrate relevant monitoring, modelling and reporting programmes, and strengthens the link between biophysical and socio-economic issues, which inform water quality target setting at a regional level.

SAP members have established good relationships with the Regional Implementation Group through regular meetings. The SAP is also becoming familiar with a range of relevant research projects conducted through the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility (MTSRF) and CSIRO that support Reef Plan implementation.

The enthusiasm of all SAP members is a great advantage, particularly among new members with social and economic expertise who have commenced the development of a socio-economic framework to inform planning and management in the GBR catchment.

The SAP has many challenges for the future, but the groundwork laid during 2006–07 allows them to provide solid advice on mechanisms to progress the integration of biophysical and socio-economic knowledge and information from the catchment to the Reef, and to inform management decisions.

Last reviewed 03 March 2008

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