Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Threatened Species Week provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of maintaining the full diversity of life on our planet; the opportunity to remember that connected landscapes are essential to supporting the retention of species across the range of bioregions that we have in this country. Tonight, I want to talk about the Wet Tropics of North Queensland. The Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland is a region of astonishing biodiversity. A region comprising 0.26 per cent of the Australian continent, it supports 35 per cent of Australia’s mammal species and 40 per cent of its birds. This very important landscape was recognised some 20 years ago by the United Nations through its addition to the World Heritage List. Those of us who were around then will remember that that was a very controversial move, but I can say that it is now accepted and welcomed by most, if not all, North Queenslanders. The area is also included in the Australian Heritage List.

Threatened wildlife in the Wet Tropics region include the southern cassowary, the northern bettong, and the mahogany glider. The two tree kangaroo species endemic to the region are considered rare. Frogs are a particular feature of the Wet Tropics. It is very sad that frog numbers have declined drastically over the last 20 years or so, victims of the worldwide disease known as the chytrid fungus. Ten species of frog in the Wet Tropics are now considered vulnerable or endangered. We know of no direct way to tackle this insidious fungal disease, so we must do all we can to limit other pressures on frogs by protecting and maintaining their habitats.

Over 2,800 species of plants are found the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. More than 700 of these species are endemic to the region and are found nowhere else in the world. The Wet Tropics region is distinctive for the high proportion of primitive plant species, reflecting the long separation of these rainforests from others around the world. Around 350 plant species in the region are threatened as a result of their naturally very restricted distribution combined with the loss and degradation of their habitat and other impacts. I would like to go through some of those impacts tonight. The Wet Tropics rainforests exist in a thin sliver along the margin of an otherwise dry continent—it is a landscape under pressure. For many years it has been richly productive agricultural country, growing sugar, bananas and other tropical products. The development of these valuable industries has led to the loss of a large proportion of the tropical lowland rainforest. The coastal plain between Cairns and Townsville is now one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The development of towns, tourism facilities and associated infrastructure is creating new pressures from the natural environments of the region.

The impact of this development is particularly being felt by the spectacular southern cassowary, an icon of the region. The combined impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation, road deaths, dog attacks and other pressures are a cause of great concern to those of us wishing to sustain a population of cassowaries in our region. Today, during this Threatened Species Week, the Wet Tropics Management Authority hosted a cassowary summit in Cairns. The summit brought together well over 100 people—in fact, 170 people attended—with an interest in cassowary conservation. The children from the Trinity Anglican School entertained the group with a play that they had penned, I understand, called ‘The Plight of the Cassowary’. Scientists, policymakers, land managers and community organisations joined together at this summit, breaking down barriers and promoting improved understanding of the threats to cassowaries and a shared view about what coordinated action is required in response. The information generated by the summit will help the authority and its regional partners develop new strategies to attract new investment in cassowary conservation. The cassowary is important in and of itself and also because of the connection that it creates between the human community and the rainforest ecosystems in the region, which are themselves threatened. If we protect the cassowary, we will be protecting rare lowland rainforest ecosystems as well.

Another threat, of course, is climate change. Climate change creates additional pressure on this landscape, which is regarded by many authorities as particularly sensitive to a drier and therefore warming climate. Scientists from James Cook University have recently detected a sudden crash in the population of the endemic Daintree ring tail possum on Mount Lewis, west of Port Douglas. This population crash has been linked to the early effects of climate change and is cause for great concern. Other species, such as the rare golden bower bird, which inhabits cool mountain-tops, are also considered to be sensitive to climate change. We need more research to better understand the impacts of climate change in this landscape, but there is also an urgent need to start work in adapting to a likely increase in temperature and other climactic changes in the region. This means taking steps to improve the resilience of the forests by reconnecting fragmented areas and tackling pests and weeds that adversely affect forest health.

This week’s cassowary summit and other conservation programs on the Wet Tropics demonstrate the importance of regional leadership in conservation and land management. The Wet Tropics Management Authority, which coordinates Australian and Queensland government programs for the region, plays a vital leadership role in conservation of the Wet Tropics rainforest through planning, regulation, community engagement and research. Terrain NRM, the regional natural resource management body, provides leadership in sustainable land management across the agricultural landscape and is currently playing a leading role in the implementation of the Australian government’s Reef Rescue program. The Reef and Rainforest Research Centre coordinates the implementation of the Australian government’s Marine and Tropical Research Facility that funds research at James Cook University and in the CSIRO laboratories in Atherton, Townsville and Cairns. It helps to ensure research in the region is relevant and that findings are quickly made available.

These three small organisations with leadership drawn from our region play a vital role in threatened species management and merit our continuing support. Community based organisations in the region are also playing an essential role in threatened species conservation. One fine example is the C4 conservation group at Mission Beach. I was very fortunate recently to have the pleasure of reopening their refurbished visitor centre in Mission Beach. That centre not only orients tourists to the special values of the forest in the area but also creates a hub for a very aware and active local community, and I commend all the members.

The traditional owners of our area also share our concern for threatened species. The Girringun Aboriginal Corporation at Cardwell last year produced a DVD called No Wabu No Wuju No GunduyNo Rainforest, No Food, No Cassowary, which tells the story of cassowary conservation from the perspective of Aboriginal rainforest people. The Girringun community are now participating in the Indigenous Protected Area program. The employment and community development outcomes that will flow from this show how caring for country can be linked to our national closing the gap goals.

The recipe for successful conservation of our threatened species is not really all that complicated. We must develop a thorough understanding of species, how they interact with their environment through high-quality research. We must identify and protect critical habitat for threatened species and, if possible, expand it and connect it within the wider landscape. We must identify and address critical threatening processes such as pests, weeds, inappropriate fire regimes and climate change. We must monitor our progress, learn from our mistakes and communicate our successes. Perhaps most importantly, we must be sure to involve our communities in this important work to maintain their support and to capitalise on their energy and knowledge. And finally, we must focus our limited resources on the places where they will have the most effect. The Wet Tropics of Queensland is an enormously important landscape within the Australian continent that merits our very careful attention.