Category: Nature & Environment

The Douglas Shire Council commenced its ordinary meeting at 11000am on Tuesday 30 May 2023 and these are some of the key issues discussed….

“On Saturday, 27 May after a morning out fishing, we anchored at the Charles Hardy Islands for lunch and a quick snorkel in crystal clear waters approx. 40km off the Cape York Coast. I was snorkelling with my wife and a group of friends and while checking out some coral and fish and talking to a fellow snorkeller, I was attacked from behind by a saltwater crocodile which got its jaws around my head.
I thought it was a shark but when I reached up I realised it was a crocodile. I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out.
The crocodile then attempted to attack me a second time, but I managed to push it away with my right hand, which was then bitten by the croc….”

The Planning and Environment Court has overturned Douglas Shire Council’s approval of the North Break wave park development proposal for Mowbray.
Local community group, Douglas Shire Sustainability Group (DSSG) appealed the approval of the development application and in today’s media release, states “this is a win for all those wishing to safeguard the integrity of our planning scheme and ensuring appropriate development in Douglas Shire…The process of the Court has allowed public opinion to be heard and in this case, validated.”

The roundtable will discuss DES’ enhanced Crocwise Strategy, Crocodile Management Plan consultation, research and monitoring of estuarine crocodile numbers and behaviour, and future initiatives.

IN BRIEF / The lowdown on environmental news-cow poo, fishing buoys, Cloud Land, marine debris and sustainable travel updates.

After a Missing Notice was posted for the legendary crocodile, Scarface returned to his usual mangrove haunt on the Daintree yesterday afternoon.

FNQ environmental activist body, the Douglas Shire Sustainability Group (DSSG), has raised community concerns about a major development project currently underway on the Daintree Coast. The Daintree Coast is once again under threat: the threat of commercialisation and over-development resulting from the construction of a power grid.

The Wet Tropics Waterway Health Report Card 2022 has been released by Wet Tropics Waterways.

It grades the condition of the freshwater basins, estuaries and marine environments across the Wet Tropics as an action of the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan. For the first time it includes data on mangrove condition.

A new study led by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and James Cook University calls for a new coordinated and scaled-up approach to restoring Australia’s coastal and marine ecosystems.

A PROPOSED nursery will seek to grow 150,000 native plants per year in Cow Bay to help restore and regenerate the Daintree Rainforest.