JJ Walker (NQ Dry Tropics Team Leader Biodiversity Program) & Liz Downes (Wildlife Queensland, Townsville Branch Inc.)

Community planning prioritises local Reef support projects

A community-driven planning process aimed at identifying local solutions to protect the Great Barrier Reef has generated four ‘shovel ready’ projects.

The proposed projects, which are not yet funded, would each be led by a local community group, and focus on a range of actions including protecting turtles and dugongs, tackling pest weeds and animals, and rehabilitating important riparian (creek bank) areas.

These projects are featured in a new prospectus, recently launched in Townsville at an event on the Strand. You can read it here.

Last year, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation engaged NQ Dry Tropics and Reef Ecologic to develop a Community Action Plan for the Burdekin coastal area. 

This involved holding a series of workshops involving Traditional Owners, coastal and marine community groups, school children and local and state government officers. Workshop participants prioritised threats to the reef and how they could be mitigated.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is encouraging external funders such as philanthropists and corporations to take a look at the prospectus, and has opened its own application for expressions of interest for seed funding for eligible projects.

Wayne Christensen (Wunjunga Progress Association) and Neil Mattocks (Coordinator for Reef Conservation Actions at Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority).

Ashleigh, Petina, and Margaret Gooch (Magnetic Island Community Development Association) and Laura Dunstan (Project Manager for Community Partnerships at GBRF).

The launch took place on the Strand in Townsville.