NRM Plan Updated

Priorities for natural resource management in the Wet Tropics

We asked what your priorities are for managing natural resources in the Wet Tropics region. Now we have the answers – along with localised updated priority actions for communities from the Daintree to Ravenshoe and Ingham.

A major review of the award-winning Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country has been completed and we’d love you all to take a look at the revised priorities for action at www.wettropicsplan.org.au

What has changed?

Biodiversity, clean water, sustainable industries and cultural connections are among the priorities that feature heavily across the board. There have been changes specific to each region but the major collective difference, since the plan was created five years ago, is the focus on climate change.  It’s much stronger now, with calls for actions to help our communities, industries and natural systems adapt to climate changes and reduce the effects.

Work of community groups and traditional owners

Extensive community consultation for this review has also shone a bright light on the ongoing work of many organisations across our region, and many volunteers, to improve habitat, protect our natural resources, and adapt and innovate for sustainable management.  Projects range from revegetation and weed control to protecting threatened species and their habitat, improving soil health and restoring waterways.

Another focus was the vital role that Rainforest Aboriginal People play in the protection and management of our natural resources.

Targeted actions for maximum benefit

A key message was the importance of landholders, land and sea managers, community groups, industry, traditional owners and government agencies all working together towards targeted natural resource management activities for maximum benefit to our region.

What’s in the plan?

The Wet Tropics Plan for People and Country includes priority actions for each area, covering Ingham and the rest of the Herbert region, the Cassowary Coast, Tablelands, Upper Herbert, Cairns, Kuranda, Mareeba and Mossman-Port Douglas.  But it also includes so much more. Here are some examples of the kind of information you’ll find there: 

• Interactive maps that can show you things like soil types, land uses, water systems, and areas with high potential for climate refuges and carbon sequestration across the region
• Practical online mapping tools so you can design your own maps for projects, funding applications, recreational pursuits
• Contact details for the Wet Tropics’ traditional owner groups
• A soil health information hub
• Climate change information specific to our region
• Details about every river catchment
• Invasive species
• Threatened Species Recovery Plans