WATERWAY HEALTH AN A-GRADE ISSUE FOR OUR REGION
The latest waterway health scores for the Mackay-Whitsunday region have been released.
Julie Boyd, Chair of the Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership, said while overall results were a mix of Bs, Cs and Ds, there was no doubt that waterway health was an A-grade issue.
“We need continued improvement, action and funding when it comes to better water quality,” she said.
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said the local community was becoming more aware of waterway health.
“These annual results help give us the information we need to make informed decisions around waterway management. They are an important step towards improving the understanding of the water quality story of the Mackay-Whitsunday region.”
WHO WE ARE
The Mackay-Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (HR2RP) represents 26 organisations committed to understanding and improving the health of Mackay-Whitsunday waterways and marine environments. From ports and resources, to agriculture, conservation and natural resource management, research and Traditional Owners – diversity amongst Partners ensures all sectors are at the table. The Partnership allows collective access to the best available science in waterway and marine monitoring programs, representing an investment of more than $4 million on an annual basis.
Our commitment is to:
- Confirm a long term approach to the management of the Region’s waterways and marine environment in a holistic manner
- Communicate information effectively
- Support decision making
- Be specific to the Mackay-Whitsunday Region
The Partnership draws on existing programs and collaborations, where possible, to ensure as much consistency across Queensland report cards, such as using the Reef Plan Independent Science Panel. More detail on how existing programs are being integrated into the Mackay-Whitsunday report card is provided in the Program Design.
The Partnership is hosted in the Mackay-Whitsunday Region by Reef Catchments Limited.
