THE Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC) will mark 10 years of operation on November 18 after a decade of delivering remarkable outcomes for environmental and humanitarian research, management, protection and sustainability projects in the Far North.

First established in 2006 to manage the Australian Government’s Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF), the not-for-profit company has gone on to successfully attract over $200 million in grants and co-investment to North Queensland.

Projects currently underway include the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Programme (NESP)’s Tropical Water Quality Hub, the Crown of Thorns Starfish Targeted Control Program and development aid projects on the border of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

All of this has been achieved by the RRRC with small but highly skilled and dedicated staff and strong support from a diverse and highly respected board. RRRC is a member-based organisation with 10 member organisations with a strong interest in the region.

RRRC has positioned itself as the key knowledge broker in North Queensland, and is a trusted resource for government, research and media for information on the Great Barrier Reef, having provided products and services to more than 80 organisations.

RRRC’s Managing Director Sheriden Morris said she looked forward to many more years of delivering for North Queensland.

“The region has among the most iconic and important environments in the world like the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest, but what truly makes it special are the people here with the talent, experience and resilience that make this region a global leader in tropical expertise,” Sheriden said.

“Whether that’s tour operators that have been closely observing Reef conditions for 20 years; cane growers that use best management practice to reduce impact in their catchments; researchers working out completely innovative fields of integrated pest management for the Crown of Thorns Control Program or Community Rangers building their villages’ resilience on Australia’s borderlands; they represent what is great about this part of the world – they are our greatest natural resource.”

“I’ve been deeply honoured to spend the last ten years working among these people, and I want to express my greatest thanks to everyone that has supported RRRC all these years and in years to come.”

Sheriden was awarded 2015 Woman of the Year by Cairns Regional Council for her work at the helm of RRRC.

RRRC Board Chair Dr Ian Poiner said RRRC’s success came from its ability to translate science knowledge into improved environmental and community outcomes and local jobs.

“RRRC has been at the intersection of science, policy, economic development and management for ten years, and this has enabled the company to fill a unique position in Australia’s environmental management landscape,” Dr Poiner said.

“By taking an all-of-system approach – looking at the rainforest, the creeks and rivers, inshore and outer coral reefs as highly interconnected, interdependent systems and by bringing together people from across a wide spectrum of skills and experience, they have solved problems and delivered outcomes no-one else could’.

“I congratulate the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre on a great first 10 years and we all look forward to what comes next.”