The Coca-Cola Foundation has announced a further $500,000 grant to Project Catalyst Australia, which will bring their total investment into the Project to$3.25 million over the past six years.
The Project aims to reduce the environmental impacts of sugarcane production on the Great Barrier Reef by providing funding for technical expertise, economic analysis and opportunities for learning and networking to innovative farmers in the Queensland region.
Project Catalyst engages 78 innovative Queensland sugarcane growers with on-ground coordination lead by natural resource management groups Reef Catchments, NQ Dry Tropics and Terrain Natural Resource Management and support from the Australian Government and WWF.
To date, Coca-Cola Foundation investments in Project Catalyst have enabled farmers to significantly improve the quality of more than 100 billion litres of water, reducing the level of sediment and chemical run-off from their farms into river catchments that connect to the Great Barrier Reef.
Reef Catchments CEO Robert Cocco said, “Project Catalyst growers actively seek to do things differently they are constantly coming to us with innovative ideas. It’s our local farmers who are championing this sustainability initiative – investing their time and efforts in finding new ways to improve water quality and preserve the Great Barrier Reef while making their own business more profitable though innovation.
“Declining water quality is a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef, an Australian icon that generates AU$5-6 billion per year from tourism. Scientific monitoring and reports confirm that diffuse source pollution from farm run-off via river catchments is a major contributor to declining GBR health and resilience projects like Catalyst are fundamental in helping us showcase that farmers, community, business and government can combine efforts to preserve one of the great seven wonders of the natural world,” he said.
WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said , “Containing more than 10 per cent of the world’s total fish species, over 600 species of hard and soft corals, and attracting over 2 million visitors per year, the Reef is an Australian and global treasure which needs to be protected.
“What we are seeing with Project Catalyst is cutting edge innovation. It is a model for working together that we hope to replicate in other place and with other commodities. Project Catalyst is having an impact not only in Australia , but around the world.”
The grant also comes at a time when the Australian Government has released its Reef 2050 plan, further emphasising the importance of protecting the Reef.
The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for the Environment, said, “Nitrogen runoff from farms is a major factor affecting the health of the Great Barrier Reef and is linked to outbreaks of the damaging crown-of-thorns starfish. The important work as part of Project Catalyst complements the work being undertaken by the Government to support improvements to farming practices.”
Since the Project’s inception in 2009, the number of sugarcane producers involved has increased to more than 75 growers, managing over 40,000 hectares of farmland.
“The rise in the number of growers involved is a testament to the passion and commitment of our farmers. The Project started in the Mackay region and now includes farms all the way to Mosman in the Wet Tropics.
“This means new innovations are being implemented across catchments that cover almost the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr O’Gorman added.
Michelle Allen , Coca-Cola South Pacific said The Coca-Cola Foundation is proud to be working with Project Catalyst farmers.
“Australian sugarcane growers involved in the Project Catalyst are leading the industry through their innovation. This new grant will not only ensure the continuation of the Project, but also help put our Australian growers on the world map,” Ms Allen said.
“Project Catalyst is one of many water projects supported globally by The Coca-Cola Foundation; and we are really proud of what our local farmers have achieved.
“Project Catalyst marked the first extension of The Coca-Cola Foundation’s global partnership with WWF into the South-Pacific, and an example of the Foundation displaying leadership through innovation in the key environmental impact area of sustainable agriculture.”
Joe Muscat, a grower from the Mackay Whitsunday region, has been involved in Project Catalyst for the past five years and receives agronomic advice on farm management practices along with support to trial new, innovative ideas.
“As growers we have a responsibility to seek out more sustainable practices that can help preserve our farms and our environment for future generations. Through Project Catalyst, I’ve not only improved my own business but can also be confident that I am doing my bit to protect the environment. We all have a responsibility to conserve the land and the Reef.”
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