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.

大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef, GBR）及其集水区的水体中已检出50余种陆地源农药。过往针对农药所引发风险的研究，多聚焦于5种优先管控的光系统II（PSII）除草剂。然而，当前其他农药的使用量日益攀升，但关于这些农药的环境归趋、持久性与毒性数据却十分匮乏。为优化针对大堡礁及其集水区的水质指南，以及评估这些‘替代型’农药所带来的潜在风险，本项目将量化其对淡水与海洋物种的毒性。