Diane Tarte2, Professor Stephen Turton1
1Marine Ecosystem Policy Advisors, Redland Bay, Queensland
2Dry Tropics Partnerships for Health Waters, Townsville, Queensland
Abstract:
NEW – Over the past ten years regional waterway health report cards have been developed for five catchment regions of the Great Barrier Reef. They extend from hilltop to ocean (H2O) and provide an annual health check of regional waterways including estuaries out to the outer Reef. They complement the Reef-wide annual report card, and are a response to either a local waterway-related crisis or a desire to engage more effectively with regional communities and communicate complex information in an easily understood style. This presentation provides an overview of who is involved, how the report cards are prepared, and how they are being used to influence management policies and programs.
Biography:
Diane Tarte is Director of Marine Ecosystem Policy Advisors. Over the past 40 years she has been involved in the protection and management of the Great Barrier Reef and Australian marine and coastal areas. She has extensive experience with the development and roll-out of ecosystem health report cards starting in south east Queensland in the 2000s and now the Reef catchments