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Hi
Welcome to the latest issue of
our quarterly e-newsletter. We hope it will keep you
up to date with our activities and projects in the
Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
A highlight in our news includes the exciting
announcement of our new WTMA Board Chairperson. We
welcome Associate Professor Peter Valentine to his
new position and look forward to his leadership of
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If you have any comments,
contact us on
07 4052 0531 or give us your feedback
here.
Feel free to pass this newsletter on to your
friends.
Andrew Maclean,
Executive Director
Visit our web site
here.
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WTMA |
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WTMA
Board
Chair
The Hon
Kate
Jones MP,
on
behalf
of the
Wet
Tropics
Ministerial
Council,
recently
made the
very
welcome
announcement
of the
appointment
of
Associate
Professor
Peter
Valentine
as Chair
of the WTMA
Board.
Peter
brings
with him
an
impressive
knowledge
of the
Wet
Tropics
World
Heritage
Area
from his
career
at James
Cook
University, spanning
more
than
three
decades.
He has
long
been
committed
to
caring
for
World
Heritage
Areas
and was
involved
in the
establishment
and
listing
of the
Wet
Tropics
World
Heritage
Area. |
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Spott the python
WTMA would like to welcome Spott, the spotted python. Spott, a nine-year- old female, is an exciting addition to the WTMA team. She will be a valuable educational resource to create awareness for Wet Tropics wildlife on school visits around the region. Spott will also help to deliver safety messages to the community and encourage a newfound respect for these top-order predators. |
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WTMA website
The
Wet Tropics website
has been updated. It now
contains more
information and is
easier to navigate. Some
interesting new sections
include Tourism and
Visitor Information and
the Authority's ‘From
the Heart' book, produced
as part of the Wet
Tropics World Heritage
Area twentieth year
celebrations.
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Keep it Wild poster
competition
WTMA is launching the
Reef & Rainforest "Keep
it Wild", poster
competition with the
Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority.
This year's competition
celebrates the
Queensland school
system's year of
environmental
sustainability and the
international year of
biodiversity, declared
by the United Nations.
To enter the
competition, or for more
details, please visit the
Wet Tropics website. |
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Native Title
determinations
Two more Native Title
determinations have been
made in the Wet Tropics.
On 17 December the
Dulabed and Malanbarra
Yidinji people became
recognised native title
holders over 16,460
hectares of land and
water, 37 km south of
Cairns. On 19 December
the
Girramay people's
Native Title rights and
interests were
recognised over 475
hectares in the Cardwell
to Murray Upper area. WTMA staff worked with
Traditional Owners and
other agencies to
achieve an agreement
that acknowledges and
respects the rights of
the Traditional Owners
while protecting the
values and integrity of
the Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area.
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QPWS |
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Mossman Gorge
elevated
boardwalk
The
Queensland Parks
and Wildlife
Service will
soon be
replacing the
existing access
track at Mossman
Gorge with an
elevated
boardwalk. When
completed, the
boardwalk will
provide a
world-class
experience to
the World
Heritage site.
The boardwalk is
currently being
fabricated off
site and
construction
will start
around April/May
this year, to be
completed in
August 2010. The
Rex Creek
suspension
bridge is also
being replaced. |
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The new bridge
will hopefully
be completed by
the end of
April. Work on
the elevated
boardwalk will
necessitate
closing some
parts of the car
park and main
track at times.
The project is
being funded
under the
Australian
Government's
Jobs Fund. QPWS
will work
closely with
tourism
operators,
Cairns Regional
Council and the
community to
maintain levels
of access. QPWS
will advertise
closure and
disruption
details prior to
works
commencing.
Should you have
any queries,
please contact
Senior Ranger
Tina Alderson
on 4098 2188. |
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Forest transfers
A number of
Forest Reserves
were transferred
to National Park
just before
Christmas. For
the Wet Topics
these include:
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Heights of Victory Forest Reserve - to Mt Lewis National Park |
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Mt Lewis Forest Reserve - to Mt Lewis National Park and Mt Lewis National Park (Recovery) |
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Riflemead Forest Reserve 1 and Riflemead Forest Reserve 2 - to
Mt Lewis National Park |
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Round Mt Forest Reserve - to Mt Lewis National Park |
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These welcome
additions to the
national parks
estate will
further
strengthen
conservation of
the Wet Tropics
World Heritage
Area. |
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Wet Tropics
Community |
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Cattana
Wetlands opening
Cairns
Regional Council
officially
opened
Cattana Wetlands
in Smithfield on
Sunday 6
December 2009.
The $3 million
rehabilitation
project has
restored the
wetlands and
planted around
10,000 native
plants to create
a nature-based
recreation park.
Visitors can now
explore the
walking tracks
around the
lagoons and
feather palm
forest, learning
about the
importance of
wetlands and
native wildlife
through a series
of interpretive
signs. |
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Earth
Hour
Earth
Hour
2010,
to
be
held
on
27
March,
is a
worldwide
campaign
aiming
to
educate
the
community
about
the
threats
of
climate
change,
informing
individuals
and
businesses
about
the
difference
they
can
make
by
reducing
their
emissions
at
home
and
in
the
workplace.
Cairns
Regional
Council, GBRMPA
and
other
local
partners
have
launched
the
Earth
Hour
Hot
FM
Short
Video
Competition and
entries
are
due
by
19
March.
Selected
videos
will
be
screened
at
the
Cairns
Earth
Hour
event,
which
will
feature
a
public
art
project
and
silent
auction. |
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The entertainment will continue into the night with live music and entertainment. For further information please email
earthhourfnq@gmail.com
or
visit
www.cairns.qld.gov.au. |
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Queensland
Tourism Awards
2009
Congratulations
to Skyrail
Rainforest
Cableway, who won
the Qantas Award
for Excellence
in Sustainable
Tourism at the 2009 Queensland
Tourism Awards
in November.
Other winners in
the Wet Tropics
include the
Daintree
Discovery
Centre, Paronella Park,
Hidden Valley
Cabins and
Noorla Heritage
Resort.
WTMA
congratulates
these winners
for their
achievements in
presenting the
values of the
Wet Tropics
World Heritage
Area to many
thousands of
visitors.
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Publications |
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International
visitors in
Australia survey
The results
of the 2009
international
visitor survey
by Tourism
Research
Australia have
been published.
The results
showed that
among regional
areas in
Australia,
tropical north
Queensland
received the
highest
expenditure of
$919 million
during the year
from
international
visitors.
Tropical North
Queensland also
attracted
666,000 visitors
to the region
during the 2009
survey.
Tourism
Research
Australia
publications and
reports are
available
online.
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Wildlife |
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Bee
alert
for
honey
bee
swarms
A
new
threat
to the
Wet
Topics
has
emerged
with the
discovery
of Asian
honey
bees at
Lake
Eacham
in
January.
While
similar
in
appearance
to
European
honey
bees,
they can
potentially
carry
and
spread
the varroa
mite,
and are
declared
a pest
species.
Australia
is
currently
free
from
varroa
mites
which
caused
the
rapid
demise
of a
colony,
resulting
in weak
and
deformed
bees. If
you
notice
any
unusual
honey
bee
swarms
or
colonies
around
Cairns
or the
Atherton
Tablelands,
please
report
them
immediately
to the
Department
of
Primary
Industries
and
Fisheries
by
calling
132523. |
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Wallaby
Summit
Thursday
22 April
Cairns
Regional
Council
will
host a
Wallaby
Summit
on
Thursday
22 April
at the
Tanks
Arts
Centre,
in an
effort
to help
manage
wallabies
in our
urban
environment.
Increasingly,
populations
of Agile
Wallabies
(Macropus
agilis)
in
several
regions
of the
north-east
Queensland
coast
have
become
an issue
of
concern
for
local
governments
and
residents.
As
increasing
development
occurs
in
previously
forested
or
cleared
areas,
populations
of these
wallabies
are
under
increasing
pressure
from
habitat
constraints.
Guest
speakers
from a
range of
interest
groups,
including
local
and
state
government,
James
Cook
University, FNQ
Wildlife
Rescue,
conservation
groups,
environmental
consultants
and
relevant
industry
and
community
groups
will
present
case
studies
and
background
information. At the
close of
the
summit,
it is
hoped an
action
plan may
be
developed
to
assist
the
future
management
of
wallabies
within
urban
areas.
The
summit
starts
at
8.30am
and
finishes
at
3.30pm.
For more
information
contact
Cairns
Regional
Council
on 4044
3044. |
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UNESCO |
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UNESCO Our
Place project
The Wet Tropics
World Heritage
Area has
recently been
added to the
UNESCO
Our Place
project. The
website features
stunning images
from a variety
of World
Heritage Areas
and the Wet
Tropics is the
latest to be
added to the
collection.
The Wet Tropics
Management
Authority hosted
visiting
photographers
from UNESCO in
October to
introduce them
to the amazing
diversity of
wildlife and
habitats in the
region. |
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International Year of
Biodiversity
The United Nations
declared 2010 the
International Year of
Biodiversity. To
celebrate the year, the
International
Union for Conservation
of Nature,
Oceania, will be
highlighting a different
theme each month. The
theme for March is
Conserving the Diversity
of Life, which will draw
attention to the rate
that animal and plant
species are becoming
extinct and the pace at
which natural
environments are being
destroyed, which is
increasing every day.
The IUCN will also
feature a
Species of the Day
with information on the
threats each species
faces.
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