The Great Barrier Reef catchment is the recipient of the most erosion control funding and action in Australia, with significant government investments made into research, monitoring, and implementation of gully and streambank remediation programs. Many similar but smaller erosion management programs operate throughout the rest of the country; however, these programs do not have the same benefits of research and resourcing that GBR catchment programs do.
The number of gully and streambank remediation projects undertaken in GBR catchments, the sizeable body of remediation research that has developed in parallel, and the increasing availability of ongoing monitoring data make this program an ideal candidate to extract insights into gully and streambank management that can be applied elsewhere in Australia.
Through reflection on our experience working with a GBR program, Landholders Driving Change, as well as smaller gully and streambank erosion management programs throughout Australia, along with our broader experience in waterway sediment management, we have learned that there are transferrable approaches, tools and principles between remediation programs and projects of different scales. This paper identifies important ‘lessons learned’ in five key areas which can be applied to aid the delivery of smaller erosion management programs and projects across Australia.