Science and research
Scientific knowledge, research and data have been informing Reef-based policy and action for decades.
Knowledge and understanding about land-based impacts to Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem condition have been synthesised in successive scientific consensus statements. This science is used in the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.
2022 Scientific Consensus Statement on land-based impacts on Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem condition
The independent and peer-reviewed 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement (the Statement) delves deep into the science used to understand how activities on the land influence water quality and how these influences can be managed.
Development of the Statement followed international best practice standards for evidence synthesis, peer review and consensus process.
The Statement involved 147 authors and reviewers from Australia and overseas and its outputs are based on evidence from over 4,000 publications.
Spatial Management Prioritisation
The Spatial Management Prioritisation assessment and management response framework is a decision-support tool to maintain and improve water quality across the Great Barrier Reef catchment.
The framework provides a comprehensive picture of water quality management needs across the catchment.
It also provides decision makers with practical guidance for targeted management options in their region, including:
- where management efforts be focused
- the level of management response that is recommended in different areas
- which pollutants require the most attention in each basin or management unit.
The framework helps decision-makers to balance immediate pollutant reduction needs with long-term ecosystem protection and rehabilitation, while also allocating resources effectively across the catchment.
It does this by identifying four levels of management response:
- Foundational: The core components that set the foundation of water quality management in all areas to maintain good water quality and prevent future issues.
- Proactive: Building on foundational management with localised actions where pollutant exposure is low but may be increasing.
- Accelerated: More coordinated and targeted approaches where exposure is moderate and action to reduce pollutants needs to be stepped up.
- Intensive: Comprehensive, urgent action across multiple land uses where exposure is high and ecosystems may be under significant stress.
A regional summary of the Spatial Management Prioritisation assessment and management response framework is available here .
Other science
In addition, every five years, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority prepares an Outlook Report that provides an independent assessment of the health, condition, use, management arrangements and long-term outlook for the Reef.
The Outlook Report 2019 identifies the Reef is facing significant pressures ranging in scale from local to global.
In particular, the Outlook Report identifies initiatives to halt and reverse the effects of climate change at a global level and effectively improving water quality at a regional scale are the most urgent to improve the Reef’s long-term outlook.
The Reef 2050 Water Quality Research, Development and Innovation Strategy guides investment, creation and implementation of the knowledge and research required to achieve the targets, objectives and long-term outcomes of the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.
The Reef Water Quality Independent Science Panel provides advice on implementing and monitoring progress against the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.
Farm management practices promoted by the governments are based on the best available science and guided by industry-led expertise. They focus on improving Reef water quality while improving and maintaining grower productivity and profitability.
- Last updated
- 14 November 2025