NESP 3.1.5 Ecotoxicology of pesticides on the Great Barrier Reef for guideline development and risk assessments

Over 50 land-sourced pesticides have been detected in waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and its catchments. Previous studies on the risks posed by pesticides have focused on five priority PSII herbicides. However, other pesticides are increasingly being used, for which there are few fate, persistence and toxicity data. In order to improve water quality guidelines and assessments of the potential risks posed by these “alternate” pesticides to the GBR and its catchments, this project will quantify their toxicity to freshwater and marine species.

研究人员已在大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef, GBR）及其集水区的水体中检出50余种陆源农药。此前针对农药潜在风险的相关研究，主要聚焦于5种优先管控的光系统II（PSII）抑制剂类除草剂。然而当前其他类型农药的使用量日益攀升，而关于这些农药的环境归趋、持久性与毒性的数据却极为匮乏。为优化大堡礁及其集水区的水质准则，并评估这类“替代型”农药对该区域的潜在风险，本项目将定量测定这些农药对淡水与海洋物种的毒性。