The Reef Rescue program is a five year, $200 million investment by the Australian Government under its Caring for Our Country initiative. This initiative, takes a coordinated approach to restoring the health of Australia’s environment and building on improved land management practices.
Reef Rescue aims to improve the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by increasing the adoption of land management practices that reduce the run-off of nutrients, chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides and sediments from agricultural land.
The majority of Reef Rescue funds are allocated to Water Quality Incentive Grants to support voluntary action by farmers and land managers in catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Who is involved
The Australian Government funds Reef Rescue projects through a collaborative partnership between regional natural resource management groups and peak agricultural industry bodies. The partnership aims to promote the uptake of land management practices that increase the sustainability of farming and work toward reducing sediment, nutrient and pesticide losses from paddocks.
Reef Rescue partners are:
- Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management
- Fitzroy Basin Association
- Reef Catchments
- NQ Dry Tropics
- Terrain NRM
- Cape York Sustainable Futures
- Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation
- Growcom
- CANEGROWERS
The network is supported by Queensland Regional NRM Groups’ Collective and Queensland Farmers Federation.
To keep up to date with Reef Rescue stories and activities sign up for our quarterly Reef Rescue Newsletter via the sign up box on the right.
Enquiries about Reef Rescue can be directed to one of the organisations listed above, or by contacting us.


