Eastern Cape York Water Quality Strategy (2025 - 2035)

Cape York remains one of the least disturbed landscapes draining into the GBR, with very low levels of clearing, intact freshwater ecosystems, and strong hydrological connectivity between terrestrial, estuarine, and marine environments. However, all Eastern Cape York waterways have experienced some level of degradation from historical and ongoing land use activities, as well as facing additional threats from future development. In 2025, Cape York Water Partnership was contracted by Cape York Natural Resource Management (CYNRM) under the Federal Government’s Landscape Repair Program to produce a Strategy to guide future investments in activities to improve or protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems. 

The Eastern Cape York Water Quality Strategy 2025-2035 was developed based on a detailed review of relevant scientific data and literature around water quality condition and threats to aquatic ecosystems in Eastern Cape York, as well as extensive consultations with over 27 Traditional Owner groups, community and industry groups, local Councils, land management and conservation organisations. 

The scientific review showed that across Eastern Cape York, the most significant pollutant impacting river water quality and discharging to the Great Barrier Reef is suspended sediment derived primarily from gully and hillslope erosion, linear disturbances (roads, tracks and fencelines), inappropriate fire regimes and wildfires, and hooved animal impacts (pigs, cattle and horses). Mining impacts are also locally significant sediment sources. Nutrients are a concern in areas of agricultural land use, particularly in the Lakeland region (Normanby Basin). Freshwater and coastal wetlands also have experienced declining water quality and loss of aquatic and riparian vegetation due to feral animals, weed spread, increasing human visitation, and climate change.

To improve and maintain water quality in Cape York, it is critical to consider the underlying challenges to implementing successful on-ground activities, including the huge scale of the issues, extreme climate, access constraints associated with long distances, rough tracks and wet season flooding, insufficient visitor management and infrastructure, and regional socio-economic factors. Long-term resourcing and investment frameworks that focus on building and supporting a skilled workforce are needed to enable the successful implementation of programs to reduce sediment loads to the GBR and to protect Eastern Cape York wetlands.

The Eastern Cape York Water Quality Strategy, Water Quality Science Synthesis Report, and Community Engagement Report can be downloaded at the links below.