New research from the University of Queensland reveals how growing regions in Queensland can learn from biodiversity and carbon offsetting efforts to better meet water quality targets and protect the iconic Great Barrier Reef. The study explores the challenges and potential solutions for water quality offsets, which are critical to safeguarding the health of the Reef. Great Barrier Reef, Water quality
Dealing with the Problems of Pollution
Lead author Joseph McMahon from the University of Queensland says that the study demonstrates more generally that water quality offsets have high levels of uncertainty in their effectiveness, particularly for measuring pollution reduction from changes in agricultural land use. The offsets known as water quality offsets are intended to mitigate runoff pollution from industrial practices by reducing emissions elsewhere, typically agricultural sources.
The researchers grouped these into nine key uncertainties and use them to predict the requirement of water quality offsets for sewage treatment plants (one of the single largest industrial emitters of total nitrogen in Great Barrier Reef catchments) through 2050. They discovered that Cairns’ sewage treatment plants will have a high demand on water quality offsets by the year 2050 with Mackay also requiring a significant amount of offsets at present.
Ensuring Offset Integrity
For outstanding clear catalysts in these catchments to work, they need to accomplish a similar high quality of water results that the recent discussion paper expects will be sufficient over the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Examples of water quality offsets that could be rolled out in these regions include enhanced crop management practices and riverbank revegetation to benefit waterway health in Reef catchment areas.
Agricultural offsets are more likely to achieve high integrity if they are implemented near industrial emissions and create a high level of certainty that the reductions are real, conceded Mr. McMahon. This enables industries to meet their obligations while saving the Reef from being burdened with pollution connected to population growth.
Balancing Science and Policy
The researchers note that this solution allows them to strike a balance between the scientific precision with which NBS pollution gains and losses should be registered and the practical workability of the policy, pending future research on pollution hotspots and transport pathways that may alleviate some of the uncertainties. Offets being an option for industries, such as water quality offests where sewage treatment plants pay some else to clean up the pollution is beneficial however, there are also lots of uncertainties in measuring how effective these protections would be.
Water quality offsets could be a way for industries like sewage treatment plants to meet the Reef regulations while also protecting the Reef, however those creating and buying these offsets have to navigate uncertainties in how effective such offsets might actually are, Mr McMahon said. “… This approach offers a scientific rigorous and technically feasible compromise pending clarification of some of the uncertainties by further research.
