|
|
|
WTMA |
|
Cassowary Coast Recovery Plan
Yasi may be gone but certainly not forgotten as the region continues to rebuild. The Cassowary Coast Regional Council has developed its Cyclone Yasi Recovery Plan which will guide the community on how it will work together during the recovery process. WTMA is working with its partners on the Natural Environment Recovery Group and will be helping to implement the environmental component of the plan. A copy of the plan can be found here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cassowaries are making a Comeback
Good news for cassowaries inhabiting the cyclone ravaged rainforests around Ingham and Cardwell – they are finding and eating native fruits. Cassowary scats are showing that many of the birds are once more consuming their natural diet. This is also great news for the rainforest as cassowaries are one of the most important species for distribution and revegetation of our tropical forests. QPWS has now installed 103 cassowary feeding stations since Yasi devastated the landscape in early February. Volunteers are still needed to help prepare cassowary food. Anyone wishing to volunteer their time can phone QPWS Atherton on 4091 1844. Cassowary sightings can be reported to cassowary.sighting@qld.gov.au. For wildlife emergencies including cassowaries in urgent need of assistance please phone 1300 130 372. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome
to Patricia O’Loghlen
WTMA warmly welcomes
Patricia O’Loghlen, the
new Community Engagement
Officer who started
working at the Authority
on 9 May. As the
daughter of a
canefarmer, Patricia
spent the first 13 years
of her life growing up
along the Tully River at
Lower Tully. She
attributes her
environmental
aspirations in adulthood
to her wild and rich
experiences in muddling
around mangroves and
dabbling in nearby
creeks and beaches
whilst a child. Patricia
has circumnavigated
herself around many
parts of Australia and
the world since her
Tully days. After
spending a decade
working in Commonwealth
protected areas and in
Canberra, Patricia
pursued the next decade
as a United Nations
Volunteer in Cambodia,
Malawi and Fiji.
Patricia returned from
Fiji to work in the
Commonwealth’s
Exceptional
Circumstances drought
relief program under the
Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries
and Forestry, prior to
moving north to join the
team in WTMA. Patricia
has an Associate Diploma
in National Park
Management and Masters
in International and
Community Development. |
Patricia
O'Loghlen
Community
Engagement
Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
Visit by Minister Burke
to the Daintree
The fabulous Daintree
rainforests were the
focus of a visit by The
Hon Tony Burke MP,
Minister for
Sustainability,
Environment, Water,
Population and
Communities who
travelled to the region
over Easter.
WTMA Chairperson Peter
Valentine and Executive
Director Andrew Maclean
accompanied the
Minister. Also
participating were Peter
Cochrane, head of Parks
Australia and Mike
Liddell from James Cook
University.
The Minister started his
tour with a visit to the
Daintree Discovery
Centre, hosted by owners
Ron and Pam Birkett.
This proved a terrific
venue to show off the
vital role of the
tourism industry in the
Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area, including
the importance of world
class rainforest
interpretation for
visitors to the region.
After a couple of hours
at the Discovery Centre,
the party journeyed to
the Daintree Rainforest
Observatory. Here, Mike
Liddell arranged for the
Minister and Peter
Cochrane to enjoy the
unique view of the
rainforest provided by
the canopy crane. JCU’s
plans for the Daintree
Rainforest Observatory
and WTMA’s vision of the
Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area as a
learning landscape were
the chief items of
discussion.
Thanks are due to Ron
and Pam Birkett, Mike
Liddell and team and
other helpers who made
the visit a great
success. We can be
confident that the
Minister has returned to
Canberra with a
refreshed understanding
of the issues and
opportunities of the Wet
Tropics. Let’s hope we
see him again soon. |
|
|
Communities and
Partnerships |
|
World Heritage Tour Guide Induction Scheme
WTMA through the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) have secured funding to develop an induction program for tour guides working across the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The funding of $60,000 will be used to develop online modules similar to those being used by tour guides in Kakadu and Uluru World Heritage Areas.
QTIC Skills Link Manager Robyn Keenan, says once the scheme is delivered online, the additional funding will be used to train 50 guides as part of the process. “Guides will complete two units of training which will eventually support them gaining World Heritage guide accreditation status. The current modules will be modified so that they are tailored to the Wet Tropics and incorporate the objectives of industry partners,” she added. |
|
The induction program also reflects a desire from the tourism industry to have recognised, high quality standards in interpretation and presentation expected at a World Heritage Area. This is an exciting step towards a recognised Wet Tropics tour guide accreditation scheme. WTMA is seeking to cooperate with key stakeholders such as the State Government, Traditional Owners, the tourism industry, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and James Cook University to design a program that will convey the message of world class heritage presentation and preservation. |
Tour Guide in the Wet Tropics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paluma
Community Meeting
On 14 May 2011,
Townsville City
Council’s Integrated
Sustainability
Department facilitated a
successful community
workshop with residents,
stakeholders and
visitors of Paluma. The
village of Paluma is
surrounded by Paluma
Range National Park and
is located at the
southern end of the Wet
Tropics World Heritage
Area. Just 60 kilometres
north of Townsville,
Paluma and the drive up
to Paluma along the
Mount Spec road offers
visitors to the World
Heritage Area an
opportunity for a low
key unique experience.
Although Paluma’s
facilities are modest,
the local community is
keen to showcase its
unique location and
features. |
|
The five hour forum was
facilitated by Greg
Bruce, a WTMA Community
Consultative Committee
member. Greg and his
team from Townsville
assisted participants to
start shaping the future
of their local area by
creating a process to
share their passion for,
and knowledge of, the
area. Through visioning
and articulating what
was possible,
participants identified
projects and actions
that would enable
visitors to Paluma to
understand its history
and unique qualities. A
number of issues were
discussed which
participants thought can
affect the visitor
experience. These
included the road to
Paluma, communication
network availability,
and small business
opportunities to cater
for visitors.
Participants also wanted
visitors to experience
the richness of the
wilderness through more
access to walking
tracks. The day was also
a great opportunity for
networking with others
who had travelled to
Paluma for the workshop
and reinvigorating the
community engagement
process in the southern
gateway to the Wet
Tropics World Heritage
Area. |
Paluma
rainforest |
|
|
|
Cultural
assessment
of Wet
Tropics
The
Australian
Heritage
Council has
completed an
assessment
of
Indigenous
heritage
values for
the Wet
Tropics
World
Heritage
Area. The
Heritage
Council
undertook
the
assessment
to identify
if Wet
Tropics
Indigenous
heritage was
of national
significance.
Wet Tropics
Rainforest
Indigenous
heritage is
considered
unique
because: |
Stone
Tool Nuts |
|
>> |
it is the
only area in
Australia
where
Aboriginal
people lived
permanently
in
rainforest |
|
>> |
they used
fire to
alter
vegetation
communities
to enable
year round
occupancy of
the
rainforest |
|
>> |
they
processed
and used
toxic plants
for food and
medicine
and, |
|
>> |
their
creation
stories
instructed
them about
the foods in
the
rainforest
and how to
make them
edible |
Listing of the Wet
Tropics for its
Indigenous heritage is a
long-held aspiration of
Rainforest Aboriginal
people expressed in the
Wet Tropics Regional
Agreement that was
launched by WTMA in
2005. The final round of
public consultation by
the Heritage Council was
completed in May. The
Minister for
Sustainability,
Environment, Water,
Population and
Communities, The Hon.
Tony Burke MP will make
the final decision on
listing. |
|
|
|
Cairns
to Townsville Tourism
Hub Experience
Development Strategy
WTMA is working in
partnership with Tourism
Queensland, Tourism
Tropical North
Queensland, Townsville
Enterprise Limited and
the Department of
Resources, Energy and
Tourism to develop a
pilot Tourism Experience
Development Strategy
(EDS) so the cities can
position themselves to
present and promote the
best tourism
experiences.
Regional workshops were
held with stakeholders
and a tourism product
audit summarised
activities and assets in
the region and
identified gaps and
issues with the current
situation in the market.
Communities and
Partnerships Manager,
Paul Chantrill said the
process has been a
valuable experience to
take stock of current
challenges and issues as
well as identify new
opportunities for
quality tourism in and
around the World
Heritage Area.
“Key hero experiences
for the region continue
to be based around the
reef and rainforest
nexus. But the process
has reminded us of the
urgent need to present
our landscape in new and
thoughtful ways to an
increasingly discerning
and informed experience
seeking tourism market.
The study will serve to
refresh and invigorate
product and brand
development and increase
the quality of tourism
experience and
presentation in the
World Heritage Area,” Dr
Chantrill said.
The Wet Tropics National
Landscapes Steering
Committee will meet with
representatives from
Tourism Australia and
Parks Australia mid June
to facilitate the
process of the Wet
Tropics World Heritage
Area being recognised as a
National Landscape by
the end of the year.
Tourism Australia will
also be instigating a
Wet Tropics branding
strategy that will take
place in the second half
of the year. The pilot
EDS is part of the
Australian Government’s
National Long-term
Tourism Strategy. |
|
|
Inaugural
National
Heritage
Week
Celebrated
The nation
celebrated
its first
Australian
Heritage
Week from 14
– 20 April.
The
Department
of
Sustainability,
Environment,
Water,
Population
and
Communities
and the
National
Heritage
List Sites
Promotion
program
provided
$10,000 for
WTMA, the
Great
Barrier Reef
Marine Park
Authority
and the
tourism
industry to
promote
World
Heritage
reef and
rainforest
at regional
airports
during the
week.
Tourism
volunteers
distributed
flyers
featuring
scenic
photos and
World
Heritage
information.
An article
in the July
issue of the
Qantas
Inflight
magazine
will
showcase the
Wet Tropics.
For more
information
click
here. |
 |
|
|
|
Planning and Conservation |
|
Gliders Looking
Good
Sightings of
healthy Mahogany
Gliders north of
Cardwell is a
small taste of
victory for
those volunteers
who have been
working
tirelessly since
Cyclone Yasi to
ensure the
endangered
population
survives. Daryl
Dickson has been
leading the
Mahogany Glider
recovery in
Cardwell and
says that
although it was
a tremendous
effort from
government and
non-government
sectors, the
battle is not
won yet. “This
is the first
time we’ve ever
had to deal with
something like
this and we are
seeing what
works and what
doesn’t. The
next important
phase is ongoing
monitoring and
the long-term
effect this
event may have
on the mahogany
glider
population,
there is still a
potential for
something to go
drastically
wrong,” she
said. |
Mahogany Glider
Photo: Daryl
Dickson |
|
|
On
Alert
for
Myrtle
Rust
As
the
adage
says
‘rust
never
sleeps’
and
when
this
kind
of
rust
has
the
potential
to
devastate
tracts
of
World
Heritage
forest,
we
need
to
be
on
the
alert.
Cairns
had
one
confirmed
case
of
Myrtle
Rust
contained
to
one
plant
in a
local
nursery,
so
far
no
other
cases
have
been
reported.
We
need
to
maintain
our
vigilance
to
ensure
this
serious
threat
to
our
tropical
forests
does
not
infiltrate
the
World
Heritage
Area.
Biosecurity
Queensland
has
confirmed
Myrtle
Rust
in
127
sites
in
south-east
Queensland
and
is
calling
on
the
public
to
report
any
sightings
to
help
track
the
spread
of
the
disease.
The
fungus
attacks
emerging
leaves
and
shoot
tips
and
young
stems
as
well
as
fruits
and
flower
parts.
Animals
that
feed
on
the
leaves,
flowers
or
fruit
of
infected
plants
can
cause
it
to
spread.
The
air
borne
spores
can
also
be
transported
by
humans
on
their
clothes
and
vehicles
and
even
through
the
postal
system.
They
can
be
identified
by
tiny
raised
spots
or
pustules
that
turn
a
distinctive
egg-yolk
yellow
after
a
few
days.
It
is
important
not
to
move
plants
affected
by
Myrtle
Rust
for
fear
of
spreading
its
airborne
spores.
Fact
sheets
on
Myrtle
Rust
are
available
on
the Biosecurity
Queensland
website
at
www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au.
Please
phone
13
25
23
if
you
see
a
plant
you
think
has
Myrtle
Rust. |
|
|
World
Heritage
Nomination
for
Areas
of
Cape
York
Peninsula
Listing
the
Cape
York
Peninsula
as
World
Heritage
has
been
proposed
as a
way
of
protecting
Cape
York
Peninsula’s
special
features.
The
Queensland
Government
is
keen
to
work
with
the
community
and
Traditional
Owners
to
determine
if
World
Heritage
for
Cape
York
Peninsula
is
one
possible
solution
to
protecting
its
natural
and
cultural
heritage
values..
Please
visit
www.derm.qld.gov.au/cape_york
for
more
information
about
the
proposed
nomination
or
contact
Lyn
Wallace,
Manager,
Cape
York
Peninsula
World
Heritage,
Department
of
Environment
and
Resource
Management
on
07
4222
5261. |
|
|
Australian Tropical Rainforest Plant Identification Courses
The Australian Tropical Herbarium and WTMA are once again running plant identification short courses. Courses are open to the public and include introductory and advanced rainforest plant identification modules in addition to a weed identification module. Information and to register phone 4042 1837 or email enquiry@ath.org.au. |
Bowenia Palm Photo: JMcCall
|
|
|
|
Making
Connections
on
the
Tablelands
The
rainforest-clad
mountains
of
the
Wet
Tropics
World
Heritage
Area
are
home
to
an
amazing
array
of
plants
and
animals,
many
of
which
are
found
nowhere
else
in
the
world.
Unfortunately,
clearing
of
land
to
make
way
for
towns
and
farms,
has
left
some
of
these
unique
animals
stranded
in
small
fragments
of
forest.
A
collaborative
WTMA
project,
made
possible
by a
recent
grant
of
$600,000
from
the
Australian
Government’s
Caring
for
our
Country
initiative,
will
help
to
reconnect
remnant
forest
on
private
land
to
the
World
Heritage
Area.
The
project
aims
to
restore
landscape
connectivity
in
the
high-altitude
areas
around
Herberton
Range
National
Park;
critical
habitat
for
many
endemic,
temperature-sensitive
species,
including
Lumholtz
tree
kangaroos,
Lemuroid
possums,
golden
bowerbirds
and
northern
barred
frogs.
In
addition
to
planting
and
restoration
work,
scientific
trials
of
lower
cost
alternatives
to
planting,
and
microhabitat
manipulation
(the
addition
of
log
piles
to
encourage
the
return
of
reptiles,
insects
and
frogs
to
revegetated
areas)
will
be
undertaken.
|
The project will be formally launched in August, but restoration work is already underway, with two hectares recently planted at John Hatton’s property on Kenny Road by the Tablelands Regional Council (TRC) Community Revegetation Unit, Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) volunteers, and National Green Jobs Corporation. Over the next two years, WTMA, QPWS, TRC, TREAT, TKMG, Malanda Landcare, Traditional Owners, and CVA, will be working together to replant approximately five hectares and restore 35 hectares of rainforest in the Southern Atherton Tablelands. If you wish to participate in these activities, the TREAT newsletter will provide dates of future plantings. Watch this spot for project updates. |
Conservation volunteer planting trees
on the Tablelands
|
|
|
|
Greenhouse 2011 Conference
In early April, WTMA and the Tropical Landscapes Joint Venture; James Cook, University and CSIRO, collaborated a display and information booth at the Greenhouse 2011 – the Science of Climate Change conference. The display highlighted WTMA’s Caring for our Country Tableland project and demonstrated practical measures in rehabilitation and conservation to improve landscape resilience. Cairns welcomed over 450 national and international climate change experts to discuss a range of topics including extreme weather events, climate modelling, climate change projections and biodiversity issues. The conference was sponsored by the Queensland Government and hosted by CSIRO. |
Deb Pople and Steve Goosem
at the display booth
|
|
|
|
Daintree Tourism
The WTMA Board has approved amendments to the Wet Tropics Nature Based Tourism Strategy, published in 2000 to ensure any unnecessary impediment to tourism in the Daintree region is removed. Amendments include deleting clauses that refer to the redirection of tourists and visitors away from the areas of Daintree and Cape Tribulation and which propose Wooroonooran as an alternative. It has been acknowledged that the Nature Based Tourism Strategy was produced at a time when there were concerns about high visitation and development in and around the Daintree precinct. WTMA asserts its position that it encourages growth and development of sustainable tourism in all parts of the Wet Tropics consistent with the objectives of the Nature Based Tourism Strategy. |
Daintree River & Thorntons Peak
Photo: K Trapnell
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tropical Topics |
|
|
|
 |
Notes from the Editor
The Wet Tropics is a
very special area for
frogs. Representatives
of all five Australian
frog families are found
in the area (including
the introduced cane toad
as the only, but
numerous, example of the
Bufonidae family). Many
are endemic to the
region - about 20
species are found in the
rainforests of the Wet
Tropics and nowhere
else. Of those, many are
limited to very small
areas. The little
waterfall frog (Litoria
lorica) apparently
occurs only between
640-690m on Thornton
Peak.
Our knowledge of
rainforest frogs is very
recent. About half of
them have been studied
and given scientific
names since 1970 and
more are being found.
However, faster than
they are being
discovered, the frogs
seem to be disappearing.
Frogs are
important.
In areas of
the world
where frog
numbers have
been
seriously
depleted,
people have
discovered,
too late,
the value of
their free
insect-control
service.
Rainforest
frogs are an
important
part of the
ecosystem.
Tadpoles, in
particular,
feed on
leaves and
convert them
into protein
(themselves)
forming a
vital link
in the food
chain. Frogs
are eaten by
a wide range
of other
animals.
Frogs have
been around
much longer
than us.
They were
tough enough
to survive
the
dinosaurs so
what is
happening to
them now?
>>
Read more on
Tropical
Topics
here. |
|
Frogs croak
In 1991 the
streams on
the Mount
Carbine
Tablelands
were quiet.
In previous
seasons they
had
resounded to
the calls of
frogs but in
the space of
one year,
researchers
discovered,
five species
of frogs had
apparently
disappeared.
For example,
the
sharp-snouted
day frog (Taudactylus
acutirostris)
previously
found at
densities of
up to 100 in
100m of
stream, had
completely
vanished. It
is now known
that between
1989 and
1994 six
stream-dwelling
frog species
disappeared
from the Wet
Tropics
uplands.
What
happened?
Where did
they go? |
The
sharp-snouted
day frog (Taudactylus
acutirostris) |
|
|
Those
questions
are being
asked
worldwide.
In many
countries
the reasons
are obvious
- pollution
(especially
acid rain),
insecticides,
herbicides
(frogs are
especially
vulnerable
because they
absorb
moisture
through
their skin),
land
clearance
and
channelisation
of rivers
not to
mention the
catching of
large
numbers of
frogs for
the dinner
table. But
what about
amphibians
vanishing
from
apparently
pristine
environments
- the high
mountain
lakes in
North
America, the
forests of
Costa Rica
and the
tablelands
of the Wet
Tropics?
The
Australian
wave of
disappearances
was first
detected in
southern
Queensland
in the late
1970s and
has been
working its
way north.
It
devastated
frogs of the
Atherton
Tablelands a
year before
moving on to
the Carbine
Tablelands.
Generally
those frogs
which breed
in upland
rainforest
streams -
ideal frog
habitats -
have been
affected.
Interestingly,
some species
which also
occur in
lowland
areas have
vanished
only in
their upland
habitats. |
Is the
frogs’
disappearance
an early
warning of
environmental
degradation?
It has been
suggested
that they
may be
victims of
ozone
depletion
over
Australia,
although it
seems
unlikely
that
nocturnal
forest
dwellers
would be the
first to
suffer. Is a
disease
responsible?
Perhaps the
disappearances
are a
natural part
of frogs’
life cycles
and they
will just as
suddenly
reappear -
although
rainforest
creatures
don’t
normally go
through
boom-bust
cycles
common in
other less
‘stable’
habitats.
Chytrid
(pronounced
kit-rid)
fungus (Batrachochytrium
dendrobatidis)
causes the
disease
known as
chytridiomycosis
or chytrid
infection.
Chytrid
fungus has
been
identified
as a primary
cause of
massive
mortality of
stream
dwelling
frogs in the
region. The
highly
infectious chytridiomycosis
was first
discovered
in dead and
dying frogs
in the Wet
Tropics in
1993. The
fungus is
now
widespread
across
Australia.
Worldwide,
chytrid
fungus has
caused the
extinction
of up to 122
frog
species,
eight in
Australia. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
