BCCA was contracted by the Burnett Mary Regional Group to manage the final two years of the Baffle Reef Systems Repair program. The Baffle Creek catchment covers an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres. According to the second Reef Plan Report Card, the Baffle catchment has the third highest riparian vegetation loss of all Great Barrier Reef catchments, a loss which was compounded by the 2013 flood.

This programs objectives of reducing sediment flow to the reef through specific on-ground activities including:

• Biodiverse plantings: establish and restore native riparian, wetland and waterway habitats as aquatic and ecological corridors, particularly to restore cleared lands and enhance existing native vegetation

• Manage invasive species in a connected landscape: control the spread of exotic invasive species across wetlands, riparian buffers to help protect and enhance habitat condition

• Protect and enhance existing native vegetation: e.g. stock exclusion fencing to protect riparian areas and wetlands; conduct community engagement and education i.e. workshops and field days

The Baffle Reef System Repair project was a BMRG initiative, coordinated by BCCA and aimed to curtail riparian and wetland vegetation loss and the contribution of sediment and nutrient entering the Great Barrier Reef. This was achieved through the protection and restoration of riparian areas and wetlands through restricting cattle access, revegetating cleared and degraded areas and managing invasive weeds and feral pigs.

Throughout the 5 year project, 55 on-ground projects saw 4925 ha of lantana, cats claw creeper and rubber vine controlled, 3750 ha of feral pig control, 28 ha of revegetation and 277 ha of riparian vegetation protected by fencing.