Category: Nature & Environment

The iconic Daintree River is under repair after floodwaters caused erosion in its lower reaches. Tree-planting and earthworks have strengthened the river’s banks near the Daintree Village, where land washed away in record floods in recent years.

The seeds for an open garden event in the Douglas Shire were sewn at the 2019 Douglas Shire Garden Awards night with beloved gardener, Costa Georgiadis. While the ‘Let It Grow’ awards reward the finest gardens, there seemed a missed opportunity for the public to visit and experience the beauty and unique nature of the entrant gardens. Passionate food grower and gardener, Monika Prins, also noticed that during the Covid lockdown, many fellow community members were getting their hands dirty in the garden. She decided to take action, and to start working on an Open Garden event. Her enthusiasm was unstoppable. She got novice veggie gardener, Mandy Stone, on board to help out, and they developed a plan and a vision for the project.

A coalition of organisations made up of Douglas Shire Sustainability Group, the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, the Queensland Conservation Council, The Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation have collectively written to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to raise concerns about development threats to the Daintree Lowland Rainforest…

Bees are succumbing to the sweeping changes that have come in the wake of our own species’ rise.
One of the biggest threats to bee populations is the chemical and genetic technology that our modern agricultural systems now rely upon.
Insecticides kill insects. Bees are insects. Therefore insecticides kill bees.One group of men in Mossman are taking a proactive stance in addressing this problem…

A “Save the Daintree, Again” campaign is being launched by a coalition of local and national conservation groups who see the push for a bridge over the Daintree River, coastal road upgrade and reticulated electricity as a threat to the areas’ Outstanding Universal Values, the foundation of its World Heritage Listing.

Contrary to the Douglas Shire Council’s claim in its Daintree Crossings Options Paper that “no significant environmental or hydrological studies (are) required to obtain approvals (for a bridge)”, the Qld Department of Environment and Science have informed DouglasNews.Network that any impact on the National Park and World Heritage Area “….would require thorough assessment under the relevant State and Commonwealth legislation”.

Most people do not realise that Australia has many deciduous trees. However, instead of shedding their leaves in Winter, these trees lose them in the Spring. This is their way of conserving water in the dry season. Many of them give wonderful Autumn colours. One of the most common is Terminalia microcarpa commonly called Damson. This tree currently has yellow, orange and green leaves.

Douglas Shire residents are being encouraged to take advantage of an ‘Emerging Leader’ opportunity on the board of Terrain NRM.

For many years, the residents of Port Haven and Ozcare have enjoyed secure and peaceful access to the beach, just a short distance from their homes, along a pathway through the pristine littoral vine forest which protects their community from storm surge and cyclonic conditions.
For residents, the walk through the forest and along the beach, and simply relaxing on the sea shore, is an integral part of their daily regime for physical and mental health and wellbeing.But that is all about to change…..

Terrain and the Wet Tropics Management Authority are calling on Wet Tropics teens to draw inspiration from the likes of David Attenborough, Greta, Dr Karl and local environmentalist Brian “Rossy” Ross and put Wet Tropics environmental issues in the spotlight.