The Great Barrier Reef report card is part of the Reef Quality Water Protection Plan and measures the progress from 2009 to 2013 regarding the Reef Water Quality Protection plan 2009 targets.
The intention of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan 2009 was to ensure that the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon was improved by addressing non-point source pollution caused by large-scale land use along the eastern coastline.