Reef Assist 1.0 (2020–2022)
Reef Assist 1.0 commenced in October 2020 with $13.5 million invested over a two-year period in the Wet Tropics, Burdekin and Mackay Whitsunday regions.
It was established to support these tourism-dependent regions impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by creating employment and training opportunities through delivering environment projects.
Ten projects were delivered in partnership with local governments, natural resource management organisations and public and private organisations including Traditional Owner organisations. Key activities included:
- stabilising and revegetating gullies and riverbanks
- removing weeds and invasive pest species
- protecting critically endangered species habitat
- rehabilitating coastal dunes to improve resilience to natural disasters
- conservation-based tourism expeditions with coastal island revegetation work
Some projects also included skills development for First Nations job seekers, in addition to cultural heritage components.
Reef Assist 1.0 at a glance
- Over 230 jobs created with around 50% filled by First Nations, 33% by youth and 20% by women
- Over 80% of participants received training through more than 110 different training courses
- 155,000 native seedlings planted with 300 hectares revegetated and weeds removed from 660 hectares
- 215,000 native seeds collected for propagation
- 25 cassowary food species plants planted
- 7 charter boat companies undertook conservation-based tourism expeditions
- 220 coastal island sites restored including 1,025 kilograms of marine debris collected
- 38 hectares of gullies remediated with 266 gully erosion control structures built
- Over 45 kilometres of riparian land revegetated
- 5 kilometres of engineered streambank stabilisation works
Wet Tropics region
Project: Boots on the ground
Delivery partner: Wet Tropics Management Authority
This project undertook on-ground threatened species and climate resilience work in the Atherton Tablelands. It also trained job seekers in seed collection, native plant identification, revegetation activities and threatened bird and mammal monitoring.
Watch a video.
Project: Creating a sustainable environmental economy
Delivery partner: Wet Tropics Management Authority
This project supported Indigenous employment and training in the Yarrabah Indigenous community. Participants were employed and trained in landscape restoration and revegetation, feral pest management and undertook marine debris retrieval.
Watch a video.
Project: Environmental restoration in the Russell River catchment
Delivery partner: Jaragun Ecoservices
This project focused on work to protect wetlands and wildlife corridors that link Bellenden Ker Range with the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef. Work was also undertaken to stabilise Babinda Creek and McPaul Creek.
Watch a video.
Project: Riparian revegetation – Johnstone, Murray and Russell catchments
Delivery partner: Terrain Natural Resource Management
This project revegetated at-risk riparian sites in the Johnstone, Murray and Russell catchments.
Project: Dune rehabilitation in the Douglas Shire
Delivery partner: Douglas Shire Council
This project rehabilitated coastal dunes and developed foreshore management plans to improve their resilience to natural disasters such as flooding and cyclones.
Burdekin region
Project: Community based riparian recovery works and ecotourism infrastructure project
Delivery partner: Townsville City Council
This project focused on improving riparian vegetation buffers and investigating ecotourism trail opportunities across the region.
Project: Healing Country
Delivery partner: NQ Dry Tropics
This project supported Indigenous job seekers working on Country undertaking landscape restoration work in the Burdekin region.
Watch a video.
Project: Clump Point Road and Frances Creek rehabilitation works, Palm Island
Delivery partner: Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council
This project undertook work on culverts to prevent sediment run-off into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. It also rehabilitated Frances Creek which was being impacted by weeds and sediment run-off.
Mackay Whitsunday region
Project: Leading economic stimulus through land management action
Delivery partner: Reef Catchments NRM
This project focused on controlling invasive species to improve and build the resilience of natural habitats.
Project: Whitsunday Tourism and Environmental Taskforce
Delivery partner: Reef Catchments NRM
This project trained Whitsunday marine tourism operators in island and coastal protection and rehabilitation work. It included removing marine debris from turtle and sea bird nesting sites, foreshore weed removal, coral reef surveys, coral larval reseeding and coral out-planting.