The plan

The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017–2022 (PDF, 3.6MB) guides how industry, government and the community work together to improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef. Although the current plan was originally to 2022, it does not expire and continues to remain in place until it is replaced by a new plan.

The plan builds on 15 years of efforts by governments at all levels working in partnership with landholders, natural resource managers, industry, research and conservation groups through successive Reef Water Quality Protection Plans.

The scope of the plan reflects its position as a nested plan under the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan.

It addresses all land-based sources of water pollution including run-off from urban, industrial and public lands; while recognising the majority of pollution comes from agricultural activities. It includes social, cultural and economic values for the first time.

Watch this video to learn more about the plan.

Implementing the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan is structured around two interconnected bodies of work:

• responding to the challenge
• enabling delivery.

Open larger image

A supporting Investment table (PDF, 254.3KB) details $667 million in approved Australian and Queensland government investment to deliver actions in the plan through to 2022. The table will be updated as additional investments are announced.

The total government commitment to improving Reef water quality from 2014 to 2030 is close to $1.8 billion.

The plan includes water quality, land and catchment management and human dimension targets. Read more about the targets.

Spatial priorities for water quality improvement have also been identified based on the 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement Chapter Three—The risk from anthropogenic pollutants to Great Barrier Reef coastal and marine ecosystems (PDF, 8.4MB) .

For more information, read the Frequently asked questions (PDF, 263.2KB) .