Regulating land use in the catchment of the Great Barrier Reef

• Published in: Land use policy Vol. 115; p. 106001
• Main Authors: Hamman, Evan, Brodie, Jon, Eberhard, Rachel, Deane, Felicity, Bode, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2022; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Barriers; Best practice; Catchment scale; Coastal waters; Coral reefs; Diffuse pollution; Economic incentives; Environmental governance; Environmental policy; Governance; Grazing; Grazing lands; Great Barrier Reef; Incentives; Land use; Nutrient loading; Nutrients; Policy making; Regulated industries; Regulation; Runoff; Sugarcane; Sustainability; Threats; Water quality; Great Barrier Reef; Diffuse pollution; Nutrients; Regulation; Runoff; Water quality; Great Barrier Reef
• ISSN: 0264-8377; 1873-5754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106001

The quality of water entering the coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef continues to be of urgent concern for policy makers. Beef grazing and sugarcane cultivation pose special threats at the catchment scale, and past policy approaches and millions in investment have largely proved insufficient to reverse the associated decline in water quality. In this paper, we examine the role of regulation - as one tool of governance - in addressing threats to water quality to the Great Barrier Reef. By adopting a focused study of sugarcane and cattle grazing, and by drawing upon recent developments in regulatory theory, we evaluate the approaches adopted by government, including the recent re-introduction of legislative measures targeting nutrient and sediment loads. Scientific and government consensus appears to be that regulation should form part of a functioning environmental governance system, but it must also be supported by other measures such as economic incentives, education and outreach. Where regulation of land use is required, best practice suggests it should be risk-based, responsive, and cognisant of the regulated industry’s attitudinal settings. •Addressing water quality of the Great Barrier Reef requires an effective mix of policy instruments.•Regulatory interventions should support non-regulatory instruments to encourage behavioral change.•Where regulation is adopted, it should be risk-based, responsive, and cognizant of the industry’s attitudinal settings.