Finalists in Reef Champion Awards

Jamie Gordon and Garlone Moulin, Mt Pleasant Station – finalists in the Reef Conservation Champion Award

Barry and Leanne O’Sullivan, Glenalpine Station – finalists in the Prince of Wales Environmental Leadership – Reef Sustainability Award

CONGRATULATIONS to local graziers who have been announced as finalists in the 2018 Reef Champion Awards. Barry and Leanne O’Sullivan, (Environmental Leadersip – Reef Sustainability Award); Bob Harris (Reef Sediment Champion Award); and Jamie Gordon and Garlone Moulin, (Reef Conservation Champion Award) are all in the running for their respective awards to be announced on 21 November.

The outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations working to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are recognised through the annual Reef Champion Awards run by the Reef Alliance with support from the Australian and Queensland governments.

Cane growers Frank Mugica and David De Franciscis, part of the NQ Dry Tropics “family” are also finalists in the Prince of Wales Leadership – Reef Sustainability Award and the Reef Nutrient Champion Award respectively.

It is important to recognise and acknowledge the commitment and efforts of land managers, extension officers, industry and members of the community who are working to reduce their impact on the Reef.

Landholders continue to improve farming and environmental management practices and upgrade on-farm infrastructure to reduce runoff.  These actions are improving the quality of the water leaving the farm and contributing to the health of the reef.

The Reef Champion Awards are supported by the Reef Trust: Reef Alliance – Growing a Great Barrier Reef project, which is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, and the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality Program.  These programs have been successful in supporting and delivering mutually beneficial outcomes for landholders and the environment.

NQ Dry Tropics delivers projects under both programs, including the Landholders Driving Change (LDC) project that is funded through the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality Program.

The LDC project is focused on the high-priority Bowen, Broken, Bogie (BBB) catchment near Bowen and Collinsville because the BBB produces almost a quarter of the total fine sediment load that end up on the reef.