Fitzroy Paddock Monitoring Program
This program is part of a wider, cross-regional program – the
Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting
(P2R) program funded by the Australian Government under Caring for
our Country Reef Rescue from 2009 to 2013.
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The Paddock to Reef Program will help achieve a healthier reef.
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The P2R program is a large cross-regional program involving
organisations such as NRM groups, agricultural industry groups,
government departments and research and development organisations
from the Burnett-Mary region through to North Queensland Wet
Tropics. The aim of this program is to measure and report on
progress towards the achievement of
Reef Plan
objectives and targets. These objectives and targets relate to
water quality at the end of catchment and uptake of improved
management practices for agriculture and grazing.
Information being collected under the P2R program includes:
- Information on real changes in management practices across the
regions and agricultural and grazing industries resulting in
improvements over time in water quality
- Monitoring of water quality changes at the paddock scale for
specific management practices
- Modelling at the paddock scale in order to corroborate and extend
this information across soil and land types
- Monitoring and modelling at the catchment scale and in the marine
environment to complete the picture from the paddock to the Great
Barrier Reef lagoon.
The information collected will be summarised and reported annually;
a report card on progress will be produced and made available from
late 2011.
In Our Region
The Fitzroy Basin Association works with farmers and graziers
across the region on Reef Rescue funded projects with the ultimate
aim of reducing sediment loss and improving water quality.
The Fitzroy Paddock Monitoring Program, as part of the larger P2R
program, involves a number of projects that will collectively
provide information on progress towards Reef Plan 2009 water
quality and improved management practice targets in our region.
These include:
1. Grazing management for riparian zones
2. Paddock scale monitoring of run-off from dryland cropping
practices within the Gordonstone Catchment
3. Paddock scale monitoring of run-off from grazing practices at
the Brigalow
4. Monitoring of water quality from multi-farm sites – an end
of catchment event monitoring project
5. Economic modelling of grazing systems in the Fitzroy and
Burdekin catchments
6. A detailed assessment of management practice changes within the
Orion catchment
In addition catchment scale monitoring is being undertaken at
Gordonstone, Brigalow and Spotswood catchments.
This work will be carried out in partnership with landholders, and
organisations including
CSIRO
, the
Department of Environment and Resource Management
and the
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
.
