NQ groups work together for Great Barrier Reef

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WITH his childhood home about 10 metres from the Mulgrave River, Tony Rossi was naturally connected to it.

The Gordonvale sugarcane grower has not forgotten those fond memories of river adventures and as the chair of the Mulgrave Landcare and Catchment Group is now involved in many restoration projects aiming to reinvigorate wetland and riparian areas back to better environmental health.

The third-generation farmer grows 250 hectares of cane along with his three brothers, with cane sent to the Mulgrave Central Mill.

One of the projects Mr Rossi is actively involved with is the Queensland Government's Reef Assist 2.0 project in the Mulgrave catchment, which is repairing and revegetating almost 8 hectares of wetlands and cane drainage systems on Yidinji Country.

This project is being run in partnership between Greening Australia, the Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation and Mulgrave Landcare and Catchment Group.

It involves the revegetation of wetlands and cane drainage systems to improve water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef by slowing the water flow and filtering sediments and nutrients out of the water column.

The revegetation also restores threatened species habitat and riparian corridors.

More than 10,000 native trees have been planted across 3.4 hectares during numerous tree planting events through the project since it commenced in late 2022.

"We are trying to put a boundary between farming land and the environment," Mr Rossi said.

"In the Wet Tropics, it takes a lot to get the hectares up because you are dealing with small little sections."

Trees have also been planted on farms the Rossi family is leasing, with the owners supportive of the move.

While the impact for the environment is the motivation behind the project, Greening Australia's senior program officer Lisa O'Mara explained that ensuring the project also benefits people has been a key consideration from the start.

"Projects like this are really important for improving our coastal habitats and water quality for the Reef - and what's really key to the design and sustainability of this project is how it is bringing the community together," Ms O'Mara said.

The ambitious goal of establishing 13,400 trees for this project required a production system.

Rather than buying seedlings which increases costs and time, the project partners established a native plant nursery at the Mulgrave Landcare Station in Gordonvale.

A successful weekly volunteer program has been running at the nursery since May 2023 with an average of 10 repeat volunteers attending.

In addition, more than 100 community nursery events have been hosted, resulting in more than 12,000 seedlings potted up and 150 kilograms of seeds collected and prepared for sowing.

The project includes working with the Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation to support the Madjandji people in developing long-term employment and enterprises working on Country, by providing opportunities to undertake both certified and casual training in natural resource management.

The project has supported six Madjaybana rangers with hands-on learning opportunities and all six have now completed a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management (CAEM), four-wheel-drive training and snake handling courses in addition to a suite of other related training courses.

Jamie Satani, director of the Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation said the project was amazing for the organisation and the Madjaybana rangers.

"Since achieving their Cert III in CAEM near the start of this project, the rangers have been provided with further training and on-ground skills specifically suited for the best outcome of future employment," Mr Satani said.

"It has been very rewarding to see how the rangers' confidence has grown during this time.

"During a recent planning meeting, the rangers expressed how much their on-ground skills, knowledge, confidence, and communication have improved over the course of this project.

"It has also provided a stepping-stone for future growth of the Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation.

"We are now highly regarded and sought after as experienced contractors in the wider community and are attracting project proposals from the council, state government and other organisations."

Mr Satani said this project has also supported the Traditional Owner Healthy Water project for enhancing and recording previously undocumented cultural knowledge.

"We are extremely grateful. Thank you to Greening Australia and the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation for providing us with this great opportunity," Mr Satani said.

This project is a truly collaborative effort showcasing the environmental, cultural and social outcomes that can be achieved by growers, First Nations people, Landcare groups, environmental organisations and the broader community working together, with funding support from the government.

Wetland management has many flow-on benefits, by providing habitat for fish and birds, mitigating flooding, providing cultural and recreational opportunities and helping to improve water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef.

The Wet Tropics Wetland and Cane Drainage Water Quality Treatment Systems project is funded through the Queensland Government's $33.5 million Reef Assist program under the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and delivered by Greening Australia's Reef Aid team in partnership with Mulgrave Landcare and Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation.

This is branded content for Department of Agriculture and Fisheries