Socio-economic studies

When addressing water quality in the Fitzroy Basin and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments, it is important to consider the economic and social aspects of any targeted natural resource and environmental management practices to achieve the WQOs and hence protect the EVs.

Over the last three years, Marsden Jacob Associates (MJA) was engaged by DERM to investigate the economic and social impacts of protecting environmental values of GBR catchment waterways and the GBR lagoon (as part of the development of Reef WQ Improvement Plans for most of the Reef catchments). This included a good Reef-wide assessment and a specific chapter for the Fitzroy catchment (focusing more on the coastal areas).

For this project, MJA is also completing a supplementary report to the above report - with a more detailed assessment for the protection of the freshwaters areas of the Fitzroy Basin. This draft supplementary report will be available with the public review of the draft EVs and WQOs report.

Coral reef off Great Keppel Island. Photo courtesy of Dr Alison Jones, CQU.