Over the past five years, Greening Australia’s Reef Aid Program has advocated for the protection of our precious Great Barrier Reef — with amazing success, we must add! Let’s take a look at the amazing environmental projects over the past five years and Greening Australia’s bold goals for 2030.
What Is The Reef Aid Program?
I think we can all agree that the Great Barrier Reef isn’t just a national treasure, it’s a global treasure. The Reef’s diverse marine life is unmatched anywhere in the world. It’s home to more than 1,600 species of fish, 3,000 species of molluscs, 600 types of coral, marine turtles and dugongs.
Greening Australia’s Reef Aid Program, created in 2016, was created to address the two biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef: climate change and water pollution. Their projects are practical and regenerative. For example, they’re constructing wetlands to treat water in the Lower Burdekin, fixing eroding gullies at Landers Creek, rehabilitating land at Fig Tree Lagoon, and transforming marginal cane land into biodiverse wetlands! Importantly, Greening Australia works closely with Traditional Owners, landholders and local communities to regenerate degraded land.
Celebrating 5 Years Of Success!
The Reef Aid team have worked very hard over the past five years, and in that time, they’ve:
- Restored 1,750 hectares of gullies and wetlands
- Stopped over 22,000 tonnes of sediment from polluting the Reef (equivalent to more than 500 fully loaded semi-trailers)
- Achieved an average 80-90 per cent improvement in the water quality from their gully projects
- Raised over $35 million in investment from government, philanthropists and businesses
- Broke ground on over 30 projects from Rockhampton to Cairns
- Worked with 35 different landholders and Indigenous groups
- Won awards for environmental leadership, like the prestigious Banksia Sustainability Awards
Reef Aid’s Goals For 2030
The Reef Aid program is just getting started — because there’s still a lot of work to do. By 2030, they’re aiming to:
- Plant 330,000 hectares of native trees and shrubs, to capture 3.3 million tonnes of carbon per year
- Stabilise and reforest 2,000 hectares of eroding gullies
- Restore 10,000 hectares of wetlands
- Stop 400,000 tonnes of sediment reaching Reef waters
- Stop 724 tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from reaching the Reef.
The Reef Aid program is all about regenerating and healing degraded land to reduce pollution that affects the Great Barrier Reef. Aside from the obvious water quality improvements for the Reef, their projects also create habitat for critical species, carbon storage areas, local jobs, and support for Indigenous-led enterprises!
Saving The Reef Starts Here.
The potential death of the Great Barrier Reef is unthinkable, and that’s why we have to act. Sadly, we can’t wait for the Federal Government to take meaningful action. If you’re feeling powerless and anxious, there are practical ways that you can help.
To protect our precious World Heritage Site from further degradation, we need to address the Reef’s two greatest threats: climate change and poor water quality. That’s why Greening Australia’s work is absolutely crucial — but they can’t do it alone!
Saving the Reef starts here. So, if you’re interested in taking action for the Reef, you can: Become a Business Supporter (like Virgin Australia!), Offset Your Carbon Emissions, Make a Donation, or Volunteer for Greening Australia.
Will you get involved to help our precious Reef? We’re so thankful for organisations like Greening Australia and their wonderful Reef Aid Program. Let’s do everything we can to make sure they achieve their goals for 2030 and beyond!
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