Category: Nature & Environment

A new report by the IUCN, Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture, describes agriculture as a core issue for the conservation sector now, and into the future. The report recognises agriculture as not only integral to our survival, but also as one of the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.

Douglas Shire Council staff are carefully growing a variety of native plants as part of the Reef Assist program – a $10 million Queensland Government program aimed at creating environmental jobs in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.

Foreshore management plans are integral tools to ensure open foreshore areas are managed for the benefit of the community, while making best use of ratepayers’ funds. These plans consider how the foreshore is used by the community and provide actions to maintain, develop and sustainably manage the areas.

“There is total disregard for Council permit requirements and vehicles are pushing tracks into the Littoral Rainforest – a “critically endangered” ecosystem living behind the beaches…”

NEW RELEASE: An epic short film by National Geographic film makers, Story in Progress shot on expedition to the remote Swain Reefs during the Great Reef Census in late 2020 with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef

The Australian Government is placing Indigenous knowledge at the centre of efforts to boost water quality, tackle crown-of-thorns starfish and care for wetland habitats. Twenty five new projects totalling $4.9 million support management of Country and protect culturally significant areas across the Great Barrier Reef and provide employment and training for Traditional Owners.

THE world’s first dedicated coral conservation facility will be located at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia. The Living Coral Biobank aims to secure the long-term future and biodiversity of corals worldwide which are under severe threat due to climate change.

An independent arborist report, commissioned by Douglas Shire Council, has discovered some of the rosewood trees located on Warner Street were likely poisoned.

Decalobanthus peltatus is a classical example of a misunderstood plant. It is listed internationally as an invasive species because of the way it rapidly grows and colonises disturbed rainforests. It is believed that it smothers and strangles the rainforest trees eventually killing them. Despite being a native species, several countries spend huge amounts of money on herbicides and wages to eliminate it with no evidence of success.

JCU scientists have used modern genetic techniques to prove age-old assumptions about what sizes of fish to leave in the sea to preserve the future of local fisheries.