Credits to be given as part of Reef plan

A REEF credits system and innovative ways to treat water in Far North waterways are set to be trialled in the wet tropics as part of a $33 million project to improve Reef health.

The major integrated projects (MIPs) initiative has been developed by NQ Dry Tropics in the Burdekin and Terrain NRM in the Wet Tropics.

It is hoped the projects would become a model for how to drive down pollution right along the Reef.

The Wet Tropics MIP would trial different catchment repair and treatment systems such as bioreactors and innovative finance options such as Reef Credits, where credits are generated by producers who implement projects that deliver known water quality outcomes.

Producers can then sell these credits to government, industry and other not-forprofit organisations that want to help protect the Reef.

“These will be delivered in collaboration with landholders, and will be closely monitored for their effectiveness in improving water quality entering the Reef lagoon,” Environment Minister Steven Miles said.

“In addition, it will provide farm services to support cane and banana growers in achieving optimal production and water quality outcomes, including the design and delivery of more intensive local scale water monitoring.”

Terrain NRM chief executive Carole Sweatman said the “widespread participation, energy and buy-in during the last six months has underpinned the success of the design phase, and we’re going into the implementation phase knowing that this program is the best it can be”.