Frequently asked questions: Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy

Find answers to commonly asked questions about:

• The new Strategy
• Tracking progress and results
• Water quality targets
• Taking action and partnerships

For further information about the water quality targets, see the water quality targets page.

For details about the science behind the Strategy, see the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement frequently asked questions.

The new Strategy

What is the Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy?

The Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy is a modern, evidence-based framework from the Australian and Queensland governments to improving the quality of water from the catchments for the health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef. It includes new water quality targets and was developed in consultation with communities, landholders, Traditional Owners, and experts.

How was the Strategy developed?

The Strategy is based on the latest evidence, including the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement, 2024 Outlook Report, Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan review, and the 2026 Scientific Report on the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Targets, as well as extensive consultation with partners and stakeholders. It values the Reef’s cultural, economic, and environmental importance and respects Traditional Owners’ connection to land, sea, and sky Country.

How will the Strategy be implemented to improve water quality and Reef catchment health?

The strategy sets our shared vision, outcomes, priority areas, actions, and measures of success for all partners to work towards. Implementing the strategy is a collective responsibility with deliverables at a catchment, region, industry and program level.

The actions are guided by prioritisation tools and complementary plans and strategies, with an implementation framework developed to guide delivery partners in designing policies, strategies, projects or programs of work that aim to improve water quality and Reef catchment health by aligning with the Strategies priority areas and outcomes.

Is the Strategy fully funded?

The Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy sets an ambitious, long‑term pathway to improve the health of the catchment and water quality to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Governments are already investing significantly in programs that support landholders, regional communities, and on-ground action.

However, achieving the full intent of the Strategy will require ongoing and increasing investment over time. The scale of work needed across Reef catchments is substantial, and no single funding source can deliver this alone.

The Strategy is designed to be delivered through a combination of:

• Continued investment from the Australian and Queensland governments.
• Contributions from local governments and regional partners.
• Partnerships with industry, landholders, and the community.
• Opportunities to attract private and philanthropic co‑investment.

Governments are actively considering future funding arrangements to support implementation, and the Strategy provides a strong framework to guide these decisions and prioritise investment where it will have the greatest impact.

Importantly, the Strategy recognises that improving water quality is a shared responsibility. By working together and building on existing investment, we can continue to scale up action and deliver lasting benefits for the Reef, regional communities, and future generations.

Why is there no end date on this Strategy? Will there be a five-yearly review?

The Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy is a long-term strategy to improve the health of the catchment and quality of the water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef. Funding programs will be reviewed and updated based on new science and/or implementation outcomes to ensure our approach is flexible and effective. The Strategy itself will be reviewed and updated if deemed necessary to reflect the best available science in the future.

Tracking progress and results

How will we measure success? Are there targets?

Success will be measured through targets and indicators that show how the whole system – catchments, waterways, and the Reef - works together.

The targets and indicators are based on the best available science and knowledge, including the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement, the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan Review and the 2026 Scientific Report on the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Targets.

Targets are set for the five main pollutants that impact the Reef, fine sediment, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), particulate nitrogen (PN), particulate phosphorus (PP) and pesticides.

The indicators reflect the level of improvement in the management of the catchment leading to improvements in waterway health, landscape resilience and community stewardship, and have been scientifically validated as leading to water quality outcomes.

How will our success be reported?

Progress will be tracked through the world-leading Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program alongside information from funding program monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement frameworks.

Outcomes will be shared through the Reef water quality report card, as well as regional report card partnerships, and funding program annual reports.

Are we meeting our water quality targets?

Over the past 20 years, we have evaluated and audited the success of investment programs, on-ground initiatives and actions to guide changes in management.

This process has supported improvement against our targets since reporting started in 2009, while also highlighting areas requiring further improvements.

The next Reef water quality report card will be the final report on progress towards to the 2025 targets, covering a period of July 2022 to June 2025. It is on track for completion in mid-2026.

Key achievements include:

• Meeting the 2025 particulate phosphorus reduction target.
• Reaching 87.8% of the particulate nitrogen reduction target.
• Achieving 71.2% of the sediment reduction target.
• Achieving 53.5% of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen reduction target.

The new water quality targets based on a 2023 baseline, provide a more accurate starting point for achieving the 2032 targets. Future report cards will report progress against this new baseline.

Water quality targets

What are the new water quality targets and indicators?

The new water quality targets define how much land-based pollution needs to be reduced across the 35 major river catchments to meet the ecological thresholds that support the health and recovery of marine ecosystems in the Reef. The targets are grounded in scientific understanding of the conditions that coral and seagrass need to survive. Together with the indicators, they measure improvements in water quality and catchment management, contributing to the Outcomes of healthy waterways, resilient landscapes and strong community stewardship, and ultimately supporting the Strategy’s Vision: “Healthy catchments for a healthy Reef and healthy people.”

Read more about the new water quality targets.

Why have the targets been updated?

The new water quality targets reflect significant progress since 2017 and incorporate findings from a scientific review, additional marine modelling, expanded monitoring programs and an improved understanding of how pollutants move from catchments to the Reef.

Using a 2023 baseline, the targets account for current land-use practices and the efforts of landholders and communities over the past decade. We now have a more advanced and accurate picture of the pollutant load reductions needed at the end of each catchment to support the health of the Reef.

Why is modelling used?

Modelling is essential for understanding and managing water quality in the Great Barrier Reef due to the vast scale, complexity and cost directly measuring changes across the 35 Reef catchments.

It allows scientists to simulate how different levels of pollutant reduction would affect water quality and ecosystems in a consistent and cost-effective way. These models identify the necessary load reductions required to support ecosystem health. Prior to European arrival, natural loads (termed ‘pre-development’ loads) were lower than the current load estimates. The difference between the pre-development and current load is called the ‘anthropogenic’ load, and it is this component that was used in the review to recognise the component of nutrient and fine sediment loads that can be managed.

Long-term field monitoring is used alongside modelling to test and validate results. Together, modelling and monitoring offer a robust science-based approach to guide actions to protect the Reef.

How has the science improved since 2017?

The 2017 targets were built on the best available science at the time and that science has advanced considerably over the last decade. Both the catchment models (which estimate how much of each pollutant reaches the end of each catchment) and the marine models (which predict how the pollutant affects the Reef) have been substantially improved and updated.

The scientists involved in the 2017 water quality target-setting process made specific recommendations on how these models could be strengthened in future iterations. Many of those recommendations have now been implemented, and the result is a more accurate, more reliable and more comprehensive assessment than was previously possible.

Key advances include:

• Improved representation of critical landscape processes including streambank erosion, land use and hydrology, and better representation of pre-development conditions, refining end-of-catchment load estimates.
• Enhanced marine modelling capability, including a 12-year climate period (2011 to 2022), greater river coverage and improved assessment of individual river footprints, resulting in more robust understanding of marine water quality responses to land-based inputs.
• Stronger evidence base and extended validation, supported by another decade of long-term monitoring data and expanded research, increasing confidence in model performance.
• More detailed knowledge of the water quality conditions required to maintain ecosystem health, including refined ecological thresholds, particularly for light conditions that coral and seagrass need to survive and grow.

• Use of additional lines of evidence including the marine exposure assessment from the updated GBR Spatial Management Prioritisation to strengthen confidence where model or data limitations exist.

Why do some targets look different from 2017?

The 2017 targets were set for achievement by 2025, and notable progress has been made across many Great Barrier Reef catchments. In several cases, the recommended targets now differ from the 2017 targets, reflecting this progress together with advances in scientific understanding.

Better models, more data and longer analysis periods have refined our understanding of how the system functions, including improved estimates of natural background loads (‘pre-development’) and the human-caused component (‘anthropogenic load’) that management can influence.

These changes do not mean that earlier target-setting processes were incorrect, nor do they diminish the substantial efforts made by land managers to improve water quality. Instead, they demonstrate the continuous improvement in science that underpins responsible, evidence-based management. Our confidence in the targets is higher now than it has ever been.

With more rivers in the marine model and a longer modelling period, the assessment now captures a greater range of climate and river discharge conditions. Updated catchment models better represent key processes such as streambank erosion and land use change. Together, these improvements mean that in some catchments the load reductions needed to achieve ecological thresholds are higher than in 2017, and in others they are lower.

If the science keeps changing, how do we know these 2032 targets won't just change again/how can we have confidence in the science?

Science is constantly evolving, and the Strategy is designed to incorporate the best available evidence. While target refinements may occur if our measuring tools get even sharper, the underlying urgency and the types of on-ground actions required will not change.

The 2032 targets reflect better science and greater understanding of the complexity involved in managing Great Barrier Reef water quality.

Taking action and partnerships

What is the role of Traditional Owners in protecting the Reef?

Traditional Owners play a vital role through sharing Traditional Knowledge, leading water quality monitoring, and actively participating in governance and decision-making to deliver environmental outcomes. Their deep connection to the Reef and its catchments underpins their vital role in its protection.

How can individuals help improve water quality for the Reef?

Everyone can play a role in protecting the Reef by:

• Reducing fertiliser and pesticide use in gardens.
• Disposing of waste responsibly to prevent pollution.
• Supporting sustainable farming and seafood practices.
• Volunteering for local conservation or Landcare projects.

How does the Strategy protect the Reef from climate change?

The Strategy responds to the challenges to the Great Barrier Reef highlighted in the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report and the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement, notably that climate change is the overriding threat to the Great Barrier Reef and that the ability of ecosystems to recover from climate impacts and acute disturbances continues to be compromised by poor water quality.

By improving the quality of water flowing to the Reef through sustainable whole-of-catchment action, we are strengthening the Reef’s resilience to withstand and recover from a changing climate and protecting the Reef’s ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the jobs and communities that depend on it.

How does a whole-of-system/catchment approach improve catchment health and water quality?

A whole-of-system approach recognises the interconnectedness of people, land and water. By moving away from reactive, threat-based models which target specific pollutants or isolated sites, a whole-of-system approach maximises recovery by managing action at an ecosystem level, ensuring high-level strategic goals are aligned with local, place-based projects.

A focus on collaboration leads to an integrated approach to catchment management that is flexible, scalable, and able to better manage emerging threats to the catchment. It also enables a better reflection of shared social, cultural, economic, and environmental values, which is essential to build trust among governments, landowners, industry, and local communities to achieve long-term success and greater community buy-in.

These benefits enable the Strategy to deliver more benefits to the Reef and its catchments and ensures it can continue to do so into the future.