Industries, land use and water quality in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment

In August 2002, the Commission was asked to look at the economic and social importance of the different industries in the Great Barrier Reef and its catchment. The Commission also would evaluate the costs and benefits of actions to address declining water quality which currently threatens the Reef and the industries within it. The Commission concluded that there is no single highly-effective policy measure that can reduce threats at reasonable cost to both governments and land users. Most of the threat comes from a relatively small proportion of the GBR catchment and particular land management practices.