The Reef 2050 WQIP Review

The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022 (Reef 2050 WQIP) guided how governments, Reef communities, Traditional Owners, industry, and partners work together to improve the quality of water from Reef catchments to the Great Barrier Reef.

A review of the Reef 2050 WQIP 2017-2022 (PDF, 2.1MB) was completed in 2025.

The review assessed the plan’s actions, policies, programs and the latest science to identify what was effective and what needs to change to improve water quality flowing from the Reef catchments and protect the Great Barrier Reef from land-based pollution.

The review informed the development of the Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy, which replaces the Reef 2050 WQIP. The draft Strategy was open for public consultation from 22 October 2025 until 19 November 2025.

The review process

The Reef 2050 WQIP 2017-2022 review brought together a range of inputs, including:

Desktop assessments: Evaluation of the Plan’s actions and policies and programs implemented.
Review of the latest science information: Incorporating the most current scientific understanding.
Extensive consultation: Engagement with Traditional Owners and stakeholders, including agricultural and other industries, community groups, research organisations, academia, on-ground delivery agents, and conservation groups.

Consultation and engagement started in early 2024, commencing with a public survey to better understand how Reef communities wanted to be involved in the design of a tailored review process, including how they provide feedback.

Key findings

The review highlighted significant success has been achieved by partnering with regional communities and industries to encourage stewardship, leading to improved water quality. There is a clear opportunity to build on this success by delivering a new framework that refines and refocuses towards a values-driven, holistic approach.

The review found that successive Reef Water Quality Report Cards show continued progress toward water quality targets and stewardship practices. The science is clear that improved water quality is critical in promoting the recovery of coral reefs and seagrass meadows. The science enables finer prioritisation of effort and investment to target effective responses.

Key findings include:

Reef communities are ready to move from a reactive, threat-based approach to a values-driven, holistic approach that integrates ecological, social, cultural, and economic goals, aligning with best practice Integrated Catchment Management.
Engagement emphasised the importance of shared responsibility, celebrating successes, and fostering trust.
There is a strong call for long-term planning, secure funding, integrated policies, and collaborative governance that empowers local communities and regions.
Traditional Owners advocated for greater respect for cultural values, inclusion of Traditional Knowledge, dedicated funding, and leadership opportunities to care for Country.

The Plan has evolved over previous iterations, and the next version will continue to evolve to take account of the latest science, Traditional Knowledge, and industry and community perspectives.
Tailored regional approaches are required to respond to regional variations within the large Reef catchment.

The complete findings of the review, including detailed scientific inputs and extensive stakeholder engagement have informed the development of the Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy to ensure the Reef’s Outstanding Universal Value is sustained.

Informing the next framework

The listening phase

The listening phase of the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) review engaged a diverse range of stakeholders and partners, including Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups, conservation organisations, industry, local government, Traditional Owners, academia, and community members.

More than 2,300 attendances were recorded between May and September 2024, with high repeat participation across regional workshops, a seminar series, and online surveys.

Engagement activities focused on reflecting on the current plan’s successes and challenges while envisioning long-term objectives and activities to improve catchment water quality.

The insights gathered during the Listening Phase will inform the development of an impactful and inclusive Strategy that integrates outcomes for water, land, and people, and reflects the aspirations, challenges, and innovative ideas of stakeholders and partners.

Key Findings from the listening phase

Critical role of the Reef 2050 WQIP: Stakeholders view the plan as a unifying strategic document that drives investment and action for water quality improvements across Reef communities.
Building on success: Successive plans have laid a strong foundation for effective action, delivering improved coordination, meaningful projects, and shared goals. Stakeholders called for continuity in clarity and purposefulness in the next plan.
A holistic, values-driven approach: Stakeholders emphasised the need to move from a reactive, threat-based approach to a holistic framework that integrates ecological, social, cultural, and economic goals, reflecting the interconnectedness of the Reef, its catchments, and communities.
Inclusive and collaborative governance: Feedback highlighted the importance of fostering shared responsibility, celebrating successes, and empowering local communities through long-term planning, secure funding, and integrated policies.
Traditional Owners advocated for stronger representation, respect for cultural values, and the inclusion of Traditional Knowledge in planning and decision-making.

The full findings of the Listening Phase are detailed in Appendix A of the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan Review Report (PDF, 2.1MB) .

Embedding Traditional Owner science, knowledge, aspirations and grassroots approaches

We are working closely with Traditional Owners to ensure the Strategy reflects their aspirations, knowledge and priorities around water quality and the Reef.

We aim for the Strategy to be complementary to the Reef 2050 Traditional Owner Implementation Plan and build on the extensive work already delivered by Traditional Owners to date, including under the previous WQIP.

Engagement has made it clear Traditional Owners believe a whole-of-system approach to improve water quality from the catchments to the reef is essential.

Traditional Owners seek meaningful involvement, empowerment to implement activities, and an embedded role in decision-making processes.

The Scientific Consensus Statement

The independent 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement delves deep into the science used to understand how activities on the land influence water quality and how water quality affects Reef health.

The Statement was developed between 2022 and 2024 and includes:

demonstrated independence from decision makers
high levels of transparency and rigour in the synthesis methods
assessment of the level of confidence in the findings, and
broad engagement and increased accessibility to the outputs.

The Statement involved 147 authors and reviewers from Australia and overseas and addresses 30 priority questions organised into eight themes.

The questions provide the supporting evidence for the 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement Summary and 2022 Scientific Consensus Statement Conclusions. These outputs, and documents detailing the process can be found on the website.

The spatial management prioritisation

The spatial management prioritisation review provides an updated understanding of the relative priorities for water quality improvement in the 35 basins and where possible, the 48 management units of the Great Barrier Reef catchments.

The review aimed to answer critical questions for decision-makers:

Where should management efforts be focused?
What level of management response is recommended in different areas?
Which pollutants require the most attention in each basin or management unit?

The assessment looked at several important elements including; landscape characteristics, landscape drivers; pollutant sources and loads; ecosystem hazard/exposure; ecosystem condition; management options and management response.

A management response framework identifies 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.

This approach gives decision-makers flexibility to balance immediate pollutant reduction needs with long-term ecosystem protection and rehabilitation, while allocating resources effectively across the diverse Great Barrier Reef catchment area.

More information including the management response framework can be found at Science and research | Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan

Water quality targets

The ecologically relevant water quality targets were first developed in 2017 for the 35 major river basins that drain into the Reef. They are set as reductions required in anthropogenic loads for the five main pollutants that impact the Reef – sediment (especially fine sediment), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), particulate nitrogen (PN), particulate phosphorus (PP) and pesticides.

The scientific review of the Great Barrier Reef water quality targets recommends a new set of water quality targets based on the best available science and knowledge, for inclusion in the Reef 2050 Catchment Water Quality Strategy.

Since 2017, major advances in ecosystem understanding and in the ability to assess pollutant transport, delivery, and water quality conditions in the Great Barrier Reef have strengthened the scientific basis of the fine sediment, particulate nitrogen, particulate phosphorus and dissolved inorganic nitrogen water quality targets.

Key scientific improvements underpinning the new targets include:

12 years of marine modelling data (up from three) capturing greater climate and environmental variability,
Increased river coverage with 61 end-of-catchment flows (up from 17) and 109 coastal river inputs (up from 39) leading to better distribution of loads across the catchments.
Explicit consideration of overlapping river plumes.
Updated data inputs, for example for land use, gullies, cropping and sewerage plants, and improved streambank modelling.
Refined light requirements for seagrass and coral to better reflect habitat needs.

The scientific review recommends targets that are ecologically relevant and take account of progress to date. The new targets have been set against a 2023 baseline and are recommended to be achieved by 2032. New water quality targets for the whole Reef catchment and for each of the 35 major catchments that drain into the Reef have been recommended.

Reviewing the land management practice adoption targets for agriculture

A review of the land management practice adoption targets was completed in consultation with industry, natural resource management and conservation stakeholders

The focus was to review the approach to management practice adoption at a regional and catchment scale rather than generic Reef wide management practice frameworks. The review highlighted that the high degree of complexity of management practices at a regional scale means that setting realistic targets requires detailed knowledge of the human and financial resources available to address each discrete farm practice. The resulting Land Management Targets that account for regional complexity would be many and very complicated.

The review recommends the discontinuation of the Reef-wide land management targets for voluntary agricultural management practices.

The review identifies and outlines Potential Adoption opportunity for specific priority management practices that may accelerate progress toward water quality targets in priority catchments. The Potential Adoption information presented for each priority management practice can be used in WQIP development and future implementation planning at Reef-wide, regional and catchment scale. The review recommends that the ADOPT and the methods developed in the review be incorporated into future agricultural program design and delivery.

Reviewing the catchment management (ground cover, riparian and wetland extent) targets

The review of the catchment management targets identified that they are more appropriately described as indicators as they reflect the level of improvement in the management of the catchment leading to improvements in water quality. The areas of improvement have been scientifically validated as leading to water quality outcomes.

Riparian

A new riparian indicator is recommended: ‘No net loss of woody vegetation in riparian areas’.

Reporting for the indicator is based on the Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS), which uses advanced satellite imagery and annual monitoring to track woody vegetation clearing and regrowth.

The indicator provides detailed insights into losses and gains, including breakdowns by Vegetation Management categories, offering context for policy impacts and restoration efforts.

Ground cover

A new ground cover indicator is recommended: ‘Adequate cover in the late dry season’.

Reporting for the indicator uses Landsat seasonal ground cover data, and will include conservation areas alongside grazing lands, acknowledging that sediment loss affects multiple sectors.

Wetland extent and condition

No change is proposed to the wording of the wetland extent and the wetland condition indicators.

Through the review, the monitoring of wetland extent and condition is being expanded to include whole-of-system objectives and indicators. This broader approach will enhance understanding of wetlands’ roles in improving water quality and biodiversity outcomes in Reef catchments.

Reviewing the target for urban land use

A review into urban land management (PDF, 1.7MB) was undertaken to explore the possibility of introducing an urban specific indicator target in the next plan.

The review determined that urban data available to contribute to a measurable target is currently limited. To develop defensible targets at the catchment or local government area (LGA) scale, the next phase of work to 2030 should focus on gaining the necessary data required.

The review identified an opportunity to develop an urban catchment prioritisation framework. This framework will enable focused investment for implementation of management actions and research to achieve pollutant load reductions from urban areas.

Additionally, the review identified opportunities to expand upon the Urban Water Stewardship Framework (UWSF) and improve understanding of best management practice for developing and established urban management activities.

Reviewing the human dimensions target

Human dimensions are defined as the social, economic, cultural, institutional and environmental factors that play a role in shaping outcomes associated with water quality and the Great Barrier Reef.

The review of human dimension targets focused on building upon and expanding the significant understandings gained around motivators, drivers, and barriers for active engagement in Reef programs.

The review found a shift towards understanding the quality of engagement, ensuring that efforts to protect the Reef are meaningful, impactful, and aligned with community and landholder values, will be beneficial.

The recommended human dimension indicators below emphasise the quality and nature of engagement, rather than just participation:

Agricultural Landholders: Positive sentiment towards practice changes to improve water quality shows an improving trend.

Agricultural Landholders: Positive sentiment towards actively protecting and maintaining the Reef’s resilience shows an improving trend.

Reef Catchment Communities: Positive sentiment towards actively protecting and maintaining the Reef’s resilience shows an improving trend.