Best management practices in the sugar industry for improving water quality and their adoption in the Mackay Whitsunday region

Concerns about the health of the Great Barrier Reef and associated coastal areas of eastern Queensland have led to an increased focus on the quality of river run-off. A wide range of activities in the Reef catchments contribute pollutants to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area but diffuse sources from agricultural and land uses are significant. The pollutants include sediments, nutrients and chemicals from cropping (mainly sugar cane) and grazing land.