Catchment Solutions

Helping to meet high standards of environmental excellence & corporate responsibility

  • About
    • Our board
  • Our Team
    • Position Vacant
  • Projects
    • Projects – Fisheries
    • Projects – Rural Innovation
    • Projects – System Repair
    • Projects – Water Quality
  • Services
    • Water Quality Services
    • Systems Repair
    • Fisheries & Aquatic Ecosystems
    • Rural Production Innovation
    • Project Catalyst
  • Competencies
    • Environmental and landscape planning
    • Environmental operations
    • Environment policy and strategy development
    • Ecological system monitoring and reporting
    • Applied research, development and learning
  • Resources
  • News
  • Media
  • Contact

Project Catalyst partner CEO’s head north for Mackay Whitsunday tour

April 27, 2015 by Jaime

Leading CEO’s from Coca-Cola and WWF recently took time out in the Mackay Whitsunday region in the name of sustainable farming.

Project Catalyst farmer, Scott Simpson, with Roberto Mercade, Dermot O'Gorman, and Rob Eccles from Catchment Solutions.
Project Catalyst farmer Scott Simpson takes delegates for a tour of his Bloomsbury property. From left: Scott Simpson, Roberto Mercade CEO Coca-Cola South Pacific, Dermot O’Gorman CEO WWF-Australia and Rob Eccles Sustainable Ag Manager Catchment Solutions.
Gerry Deguara talks through his Project Catalyst trial with Dermot O'Gorman, CEO of WWF-Australia.
Gerry Deguara talks through his Project Catalyst trial with Dermot O’Gorman, CEO of WWF-Australia.

 

Roberto Mercade, CEO Coca-Cola South Pacific, helps tag a turtle in the Whitsundays.
Roberto Mercade, CEO Coca-Cola South Pacific, helps tag a turtle in the Whitsundays.

On March 19th & 20th 2015, Roberto Mercade, CEO Coca-Cola South Pacific, and Dermot O’Gorman, CEO of WWF-Australia headed north for a tour of Project Catalyst activities.

Project Catalyst is a leading partnership stimulating major change amongst Queensland cane farmers to improve water quality to the Great Barrier Reef – read more about Project Catalyst here.

The group visited the farms of three local Project Catalyst growers – Tony Bugeja, Gerry Deguara and Scott Simpson. Farmacist helped at each visit, detailing the trials and the science behind new practices and innovations being explored.

Rob Eccles, Sustainable Agriculture from Catchment Solutions (Project Catalyst coordinator) said the CEO’s had been invited to see first-hand the benefits of their investment in a more sustainable sugar sector.

“The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested $3.25 million into Project Catalyst Australia over the past six years and we wanted to showcase the action that is allowing our farmers to take,” Mr Eccles said.

“The growers we visited have a mandate to instigate change and are rightfully proud of what they have achieved, while also having such a positive attitude to practice change and the core objectives of Project Catalyst.

“I think the visitors were surprised and impressed by both the attitudes of the growers and the professionalism of the trials. The size of the farms operations and the precision agriculture technology used, including self-steering tractors for example, was a real eye opener for them. Over the two days they experienced what the growers are trying to do to minimise their impact on water quality and gained hands-on experience about what was being protected.

“As well as visiting farms, they also flew 70 km off shore to snorkel around a reef and assisted the local Indigenous people capturing, tagging, health checking and then releasing sea turtles.”

The group also took the time to visit Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc, an Airlie Beach based organisation focused on protecting the marine life and aquatic environment of the Whitsunday region. Eco Barge operates the Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre, providing care to any sick or injured marine turtles.

“The message we wanted to convey was that the new practices being trialled by farmers have far-reaching impacts, and can offer significant benefits to both cane growers and the Great Barrier Reef. Innovation for improved efficiencies is a win-win, and the way of the future,” said Mr Eccles.

“Like the saying goes – adapt, or perish.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Select a product

Water Quality Services Projects and

Logo for Water Quality Services, part of Catchment Solutions.

System Repair

Logo for Systems Repair Catchment Solutions.

Fisheries & Aquatic Ecosystems

Logo for Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems, part of Catchment Solutions.

Rural Production Innovation

Logo for Rural Production Innovation part of Catchment Solutions.

Search

Latest News

Harvesting Innovation in Sugarcane

Collinsdale Erosion Remediation Project

Rehabilitation of 15ha of gully erosion at Ogmore

Invitation to tender – Mt Fairview

Innovative fish habitat reef modules

Connecting estuaries to wetlands podcast

Rocky Dam Catchment Fishway Monitoring 2020

Clews Road Fishway Construction, Murray Creek

Bakers Creek Treatment Train Wetlands Fishway Construction

Landings Road Fishway

Contact

Suite 4, 85 Gordon Street
PO Box 815
Mackay QLD 4740

More

Copyright © 2021 Site By The DMA

  • Legal Notice and Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap