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The holiday season is usually a time to drop the worries of the year, relax and enjoy being with loved ones. This year in Far North Queensland the edge was taken off our pre-holiday preparations as Cyclone Jasper arrived. It was painfully slow coming, but eventually a relief that damage to property and people appeared to be minimal. However this relief was short-lived, and the rain that followed, though initially very welcome after the dry heat and bushfires, just kept falling and falling, resulting in unprecedented rainfall and dangerous flooding.
As challenging conditions subside and the clean-up begins, we remind ourselves that tropical cyclones and their impact help drive biodiversity in the Wet Tropics by breaking down the old and letting young trees grow into the light. Cyclone Jasper is a timely reminder of the colossal forces of nature at play around us, continually shaping and reshaping our world and vital to the life of the Wet Tropics and this region we are blessed to live in.
Even though things are a little sombre at the moment, we are still taking the time to reflect on the year we've had and celebrate the milestones reached. Our Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication Program continues to be an outstanding example of an integrated pest program and we recently celebrated the successful eradication of yellow crazy ants from two sites south of Cairns totalling 48 hectares. We look forward to announcing more extensive eradications early next year.
Significant progress has been made on the Wet Tropics World Heritage Guides, a new tour guide training and development program, and the Bama Country and Culture project, as well as the initiative to advance the Wet Tropics Restoration Alliance. These are all great examples of how the Authority partners with others to deliver real benefits for the World Heritage Area.
We welcomed Djabugay and Yidinji man, William Enoch-Tranby, as a Director of our Board. Significantly, Mr Enoch-Tranby’s appointment brings representation of Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples on the Authority’s Board to 50%. We also celebrated the reappointment of eco-tourism expert Dr Sally Driml as a Director to our Board for a further three years.
Our natural world is at risk and the job of stewarding it into the future is too big for any one organisation alone. This is why we continue to partner with Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples, all levels of government, non-government agencies, industry and the community to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
From all the staff at the Wet Tropics Management Authority, I wish you and your families the best for peaceful festive season and New Year. We hope more than anything that everyone in our region is now safe and dry. It's been uplifting to hear stories of people's acts of kindness, goodwill and community spirit during this devastating time - hopefully many more to come.
Scott Buchanan
Executive Director, Wet Tropics Management Authority
Please note - our office will be closed from midday Friday 22 December 2023 and will reopen on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Any correspondence received by our office within this time will be actioned on our return in the New Year.
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