The Federal Government will invest an additional $38 million in initiatives designed to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

 

Reef Rescue is a multi–million dollar, five year program designed to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon to better manage the impacts of climate change.

 

The additional funding brings the total investment in the program to $158 million.

 

More than 2000 land managers have received water quality grants to date, enabling an additional 1.2 million hectares of land in the reef catchment to be farmed using improved land management practices.

 

From 2011–2013, an additional 2300 land managers will receive water quality grants and partnerships funding to help improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

 

Reef Rescue aims to reduce nutrient and chemical run–off from agricultural lands by 25 per cent and sediment and particulate nutrient run–off by 10 per cent by 2013.