Wetland Condition
Wetland Condition Monitoring Program
Assessing natural freshwater wetlands throughout the Great Barrier Reef Catchment Area (GBRCA), this program monitors and evaluates progress towards the overarching objective of improved wetland condition in alignment with the Reef 2050 long term sustainability plan.
The wetland condition science team monitor over 200 wetlands that are a spatially balanced representative sample of the natural freshwater floodplain wetlands found across the GBRCA, including 6 natural resource management regions (NRM) (Cape York, Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay Whitsunday, Fitzroy, and Burnett Mary), focussing on areas with high wetland densities and ensuring coverage across various land uses including urban, conservation, mining, horticulture, and agriculture.
The program’s methods, known as ‘Wetland Tracker’, involve comprehensive monitoring through both desktop analyses drawing on a wide range of data and field surveys collecting data on multiple indicators. These assessments evaluate overall wetland condition in terms of both the pressures (from human activities) on, and the current state of wetlands.
You can find out more about the program, it’s methods and progress through the year via this StoryMap.
Wetland Condition Reporting
We report our results for freshwater wetland condition at the GBRCA-wide and NRM region scales every 2 years via the Reef Water Quality Improvement Plan website , as part of the Reef Water Quality Report Card . All data analysis methods and results that contribute to the Reef Water Quality Report Card must be reviewed by an Independent Science Panel before release. The results are then made available online for use by all stakeholders.
Wetland Condition 2023 and 2024: Great Barrier Reef Catchment
Condition reporting for the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan shows the overall state of freshwater wetland condition for the entire GBRCA: