We've been busy talking to Michael Clarke on ABC Radio North Queensland about the 2024 Townsville Waterways Report Card.
"It's not only people who get report cards in North Queensland," Michael explains in this great chat with our Chair Dr Keith Noble, and Executive Officer, Kara-Mae Coulter-Akins. "It's also our waterways!"
"Today, the 2024 Townsville Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card is released, the Ross and Black basins receiving grades for water quality, habitat, and fish life ..."
Listen below:
Report Card results
Now in its fifth year, the Waterways Report Card brings together the best available environmental data to provide a big picture view of Dry Tropics waterways, including Ross and Black freshwater and estuarine environments, and marine conditions in Cleveland and Halifax Bays.
Notable results from the 2024 Report Card include:
The Black Basin receives ‘good’ grades for water quality for the fifth year in a row, with some exceptions, notably in Ollera, Sleeper Log, and Althaus Creeks.
In both Ross and Black Basins, fish grades have declined against the previous monitoring period.
In the Black estuarine environment, extents of mangrove and saltmarsh have increased. Conversely, riparian vegetation in this environment has decreased.
A concerning amount of macroalgae is settling into Cleveland and Halifax Bays, potentially dominating valuable real estate otherwise prime for juvenile coral growth.
Juvenile coral in the Offshore Zone beyond Magnetic Island continues to recover against previous years.
Sites under the most litter pressure are Big Rock Bay and Picnic Bay, on the exposed eastern side of Orpheus Island.
About the Healthy Waters Partnership
The Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics is a collective of more than 20 organisations keeping watch on the health of local waters. Partners include the Australian and Queensland Governments, Townsville City Council, the Port of Townsville, JCU TropWATER, Australian Institute of Marine Science, CSIRO, and local business, research, and community representatives.
Partners share equally in collective decisions, and new partners are always welcome.
