Strengthening River Health, Supporting the Reef, and Reviving Cultural and Ecological Resilience
The Landscape Repair Program (LRP) has launched to continue restoring rivers across the Burnett Mary Region, injecting renewed energy into the mission to stabilise waterways, reduce sediment runoff, and restore vibrant riverine ecosystems. Building on the success of the Mary River Recovery Project, the LRP brings together years of local catchment knowledge, ecological science, and grassroots action.
This exciting initiative, guided by a shared vision and deep cultural connection, unites stakeholders in a shared effort, showcasing the resilience and innovation at the heart of our region. Together, we’re amplifying the legacy of past projects and forging a path toward healthier landscapes and stronger communities.
The LRP is more than a restoration program—it’s a movement for ecological renewal and cultural vitality in the Burnett Mary that extends all the way to the Great Barrier Reef!
Ambitious Targets, Strategic Action
By 2030, the LRP aims to prevent 18,000 tonnes of fine sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year. There are three main contributors to fine sediment production, including the most destructive, streambank erosion. This occurs where riverbanks—often steep and poorly vegetated—are destabilised by high flows, livestock access, or loss of riparian vegetation. These banks can rapidly retreat during flood events, releasing large volumes of fine sediment into waterways. Gully erosion forms in the landscape where concentrated water flow scours channels through soil, often in overgrazed or cleared hillslopes. Gullies can expand quickly without intervention, delivering sediment into streams. Finally, hillslope erosion occurs where rainfall runoff detaches and transports topsoil across open paddocks or bare slopes, especially on steep terrain or where vegetation is sparse.
Restoration activities include streambank reprofiling, pile field and rock installation, native revegetation, fencing, and erosion control materials—each solution tailored to the landscape and local needs.
Reviving Rivers, Reconnecting Life
Restoration planning is underway at key sites such as the Burnett River and the Obi Obi Creek, with interventions across multiple properties to enhance riparian and habitat connectivity, and maximise environmental benefits. These regions support iconic and vulnerable species, including:
- The Critically Endangered Mary River Turtle (Elusor macrurus)
- The culturally significant Milby, and critically endangered White-throated Snapping Turtle (Elseya albagula)
- The ancient Australian Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)
- The elusive Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
Through stabilising streambanks and reducing sediment runoff, the LRP aims to bolster biodiversity and the long-term health of the landscape.
Cultural Partnership from Planning to Stewardship
A cornerstone of effective river restoration in the Landscape Repair Program is the meaningful and continuous involvement of Traditional Owners at every stage. From the earliest planning phases, we collaborate on co-design interventions that weave together Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and environmental science. Traditional Owner leadership guides cultural heritage assessments, ensuring significant places and artefacts are respected and protected. On the ground, Traditional Owners actively participate in restoration works—planting native vegetation, stabilising banks, and healing Country through hands-on care. This connection continues through their role in long-term monitoring and maintenance, strengthening cultural ties and supporting enduring relationships between people, rivers, and the landscapes they belong to.
As the region advances with a unified vision of catchment resilience, the Landscape Repair Program exemplifies how science, culture, and community collaborate to restore living landscapes, support flourishing species, and foster a vibrant cultural identity.
The Landscape Repair Program is funded by the Australian government's Reef Trust.
