Targeted actions to reduce sediment runoff to the reef

NQ Dry Tropics is embarking on its most ambitious project to undertake landscape repair in the Burdekin Dry Tropics.

The Burdekin Landscape Repair project focuses on reducing fine sediment from Dry Tropics catchments by 41,000 tonnes each year. This six-year project will achieve this through targeted gully and streambank repairs and improved land management practices.

The Burdekin Dry Tropics region is a critical part of North Queensland’s landscape, but it also faces significant challenges in terms of sediment runoff, particularly into the Great Barrier Reef. 

This runoff, driven by factors such as eroding gullies, erosion, and seasonal rains, can have devastating impacts on the health of the reef ecosystem by smothering coral, reducing water quality, and harming marine life.

Addressing these issues requires a coordinated effort to repair and manage the landscape more sustainably. By implementing landscape restoration actions in key areas across the Burdekin Dry Tropics, we can reduce sediment loads entering the river systems and eventually making their way to the reef.

Key actions include:

• Erosion Control — Restoring groundcover and vegetation, and addressing eroded areas to help stabilise soil and prevent erosion.
• Gully Rehabilitation — Repairing eroded gullies to reduce sediment transport.
• Streambank Management — Enhancing buffer zones, including vegetation around waterways, to reduce and filter sediment.
• Sustainable Grazing Practices — Implementing best-practice grazing management to protect soil, improve ground cover, and reduce runoff.
• Community and stakeholder Involvement — Working at scale with landholders, Indigenous groups, environmental and engineering specialists, and scientists, to ensure tailored, sustainable solutions achieve long-term economic, social and environmental benefits for the Burdekin communities.