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Wet Tropics - Natural Resource Management region

Regional summary

The Wet Tropics region covers approximately 2.2 million hectares and extends from the Bloomfield River in the north, to Crystal Creek in the south and west to include the Atherton Tablelands. Recognised internationally as a biodiversity hotspot, it includes 91 percent of the wet tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, and parts of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Approximately 216 000 people live in the region.

The regional natural resource management (NRM) plan was accredited by ministers in February 2005 and the regional investment strategy in May 2005. The four programmes within the regional investment strategy were designed to contribute to the achievement of the resource condition targets in the regional NRM plan and focus on high priority actions.

Priority issues

Key natural resource management issues in the region include:

• working in partnership with industry community and government for improved ecological integrity and economic performance of landscapes
• assisting agricultural sectors achieve sustainability through best management practices
• building awareness and engagement and skilling the community to take a bigger role in NRM activities
• developing participatory and systems-based monitoring and evaluations process to allow for ongoing learning

Regional plan

Over one hundred plans and strategies were prepared for coasts, catchments, endangered species, local government areas, and World Heritage Areas in the Wet Tropics. The major environmental threats and required actions were identified. The challenge of the NRM process was to integrate this previous work into a single, coordinated action plan.

Far North Queensland NRM Ltd developed the Wet Tropics regional plan, in consultation with the local community. This plan was based on a whole-of-region approach and addressed significant NRM issues incorporating social, environmental and economic aspects. A key component of the NRM Plan was the Aboriginal Cultural and NRM Plan.

Once the regional plan was accredited, FNQ NRM Ltd was responsible for developing the regional investment strategy. This is essentially the business plan which aims to attract investment from the Australian and state governments, as well as private sources, and details the specific actions, costs and timeframes required to implement the regional plan.

The planning efforts involved scientific, traditional owners, industry and community involvement to ensure empowerment and ownership throughout the local communities. Other groups already active in the region include the catchment groups such as Upper Herbert and Johnstone River Catchment Management Association, peak grower groups such as cane and banana growers, and landcare groups such as Mt Garnet.

• Wet Tropics plan  - accredited February 2005

Current activities

Interim projects were funded prior to the regional NRM Plan coming into operation in 2004. These priority projects were designed to engage stakeholders in regional planning, undertake revegetation works, collect baseline information on water quality, complete vegetation mapping, undertake weed control and appoint facilitators and coordinators who integrated the current plans and actions with the regional plan.

For example, an integrated weed management programme designed to tackle some of the more pressing weed problems in the region, such Hymenachne and Pond Apple, was coordinated by the Regional Body and implemented by local councils.

Another important project facilitated the collation and collection of new and existing information on catchment water quality to monitor how effectively regional NRM investments were addressing water quality concerns in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

Contacts

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Regional Facilitators for Queensland.