Sustainable agriculture on the agenda: the Great Barrier Reef case

The document details Project Catalyst, a partnership launched in 2009 by WWF-Australia and The Coca-Cola Foundation to implement sustainable sugarcane farming practices in Queensland. The project focuses on reducing nitrogen run-off, which contributes to Crown of Thorns starfish outbreaks and coral deterioration. Since 2019, the initiative has prevented 36.2 metric tons of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from entering the Great Barrier Reef across the Wet Tropics, Burdekin, and Mackay Whitsunday regions.

• Nitrogen run-off from sugarcane farm fertilizers is linked to outbreaks of Crown of Thorns starfish, which have destroyed more than 40% of the Great Barrier Reef's coral cover.
• Project Catalyst, established in 2009, works with sugarcane farmers to trial practices that reduce environmental footprints and enhance crop production, focusing on soil management, chemical management, and nutrient management to reduce run-off into the Great Barrier Reef Catchments.
• Between 2009 and the time of reporting, Project Catalyst supported 209 sugarcane growers and covered 47,390 hectares of farmland, representing 13% of sugarcane farming land in Queensland.
• Since 2019, the project has prevented 36.2 metric tons of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from entering the reef, with the highest savings occurring in the Wet Tropics (25.2 metric tons), followed by Burdekin (5.8 metric tons) and Mackay Whitsundays (5.2 metric tons).

APA

WWF International (2025). Sustainable agriculture on the agenda: the Great Barrier Reef case. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/sustainable-agriculture-on-the-agenda-the-great-barrier-reef-case/

Chicago

WWF International. Sustainable agriculture on the agenda: the Great Barrier Reef case. 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/sustainable-agriculture-on-the-agenda-the-great-barrier-reef-case/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Sustainable agriculture on the agenda: the Great Barrier Reef case |date=30 September 2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/sustainable-agriculture-on-the-agenda-the-great-barrier-reef-case/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2025sustainable, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Sustainable agriculture on the agenda: the Great Barrier Reef case}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/sustainable-agriculture-on-the-agenda-the-great-barrier-reef-case/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }