
Partner Profile: TropWATER
TropWATER is an amalgamation of aquatic expertise from across James Cook University.
Healthy waterways underpin our lifestyles and livelihoods. When waterways thrive, so do we.
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australia-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris.
The registered charity is focused on the health of our marine environment, and coordinates the Australian Marine Debris Initiative, an on-ground network of volunteers, communities, organisations and agencies around the country monitoring the impacts of marine debris along their stretch of coastline.
Since the program started in 2004, more than 17 million pieces of marine debris have been removed from the Australian coastline and data on this debris collated and inputted into the Australian Marine Debris Database.
The database is used to identify what is impacting different sections of the coast, and then to track where those items are coming from. Stakeholders are then brought together to work on practical solutions and create source reduction plans to stop marine debris from entering oceans in the first place. The database has open access to all contributors, and has been used by CSIRO, James Cook University, all levels of government and communities.
The data from AMDI is being utilised for the litter index in the Wet Tropics Report Card.
TropWATER is an amalgamation of aquatic expertise from across James Cook University.
The Tablelands Regional Council serves 11 towns and surrounding districts on the Atherton Tablelands.
Terrain NRM is the regional natural resource management organisation for the Wet Tropics.
James joined Wet Tropics Waterways as Executive Officer in 2021 and is passionate about working with stakeholders to communicate the value of our unique waterways. His role involves facilitating and coordinating our partnership program, growing our network and investment into the report card program, and science communication. James oversaw the 2022 Innovations in Waterway Health Forum, and hosted season four of the Reef and Rivers podcast.
James is an ecologist and has previously worked on wetland management in the Murray Darling basin, fish passage in Mackay, and aquatic research in the Wet Tropics.
Outside of work you’ll find him in a local waterway with a mask and snorkel, or hiking or biking around our beautiful region.
Richard has been the Science Technical Officer for Wet Tropics Waterways since 2016. His role involves producing the annual results for the waterway health assessment of the wet tropics region using data from a wide range of sources, to present as scores and grades, as well as developing new indicators to address knowledge and monitoring gaps. He works in collaboration with technical staff at other regional report cards.
Richard has a background in freshwater ecology research projects and environmental assessments with CSIRO, University of Queensland, Queensland Government and as a consultant. For a long time he’s been interested in freshwater aquaculture and continues this interest through farming freshwater crayfish, alongside other farming activities.
Greg is a career Aquatic Scientist who has worked extensively on waterways and waterway health across eastern Australia for almost 30 years, including estuarine and marine environments. He’s been living in the Wet Tropics Region since 2017 and continues to work as a consulting scientist on a range of projects for multiple clients.
Greg returns to Wet Tropics Waterways as Independent Chair, having previously managed the partnership from 2018-2021, and was involved with three report card launches, and overseeing the inaugural Urban Water Stewardship Framework implementation and the inaugural Wet Tropics Waterways forum.
Outside of his profession Greg enjoys a range of recreational pursuits that involve exploring the rivers, estuaries and coastal zones of the Wet Tropics.