Hill, Rosemary, O'Malley, Tony, Grace, Rowena, Williams, Kristen, Pert, Petina, and Jenkins, Suzanne (2010) Mission Beach Habitat Network Action Plan. Report. CSIRO and Terrain NRM, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

The Mission Beach Habitat Network Action Plan coordinates community1, industry and government action to protect a network of habitat that is ecologically viable and protects community identified values related to lifestyle, culture and the natural environment. A Community Vision for the future of Mission Beach, developed through the collaborative efforts of all parties, lies at the heart of the Action. The Plan is underpinned by rigorous biodiversity and planning system science, developed through co-research partnerships supported by the Australian Government’s Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility. Mission Beach is a key site within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA), a region of global biodiversity significance. The Action Plan identifies the need to protect, connect and reduce critical threats in all remaining cassowary habitat at Mission Beach through a variety of measures, and to restore degraded habitat in key sites. Currently 40% of habitat occurs on land with relatively low levels of protection and connectivity is disrupted. Protection of cassowary habitat ensures protection of other significant biodiversity, and of aesthetic/lifestyle and Djiru cultural values of great importance to many people. The Action Plan is critically important for four reasons: Mission Beach has national and international biodiversity significance in its own right; these values are urgently threatened by pressures of human population growth and coastal development; the local Mission Beach and regional communities have a strong history of and ongoing motivation to act; and the Action Plan will build ecological resilience in a vital rainforest corridor and key site for climate change response in the wet tropics bioregion. Central to the Plan are community partnerships to implement projects within each of 8 strategies: 1. Habitat Protection and Restoration 2. Traffic Management 3. Exotic Species Management 4. Agricultural Management 5. Management by Traditional Owners 6. Residential and Infrastructure Management 7. Tourism Management 8. Building Community Strength. Habitat and cassowary conservation values at Mission Beach have effectively declined over recent years despite a raft of plans and community efforts – implementation has not been supported by a sufficient level of investment or coordination. During the period that the Action Plan has been underway, the Australian and Queensland Governments strengthened their habitat protection efforts under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and the Integrated Planning Act (IPA) 1997 (Qld) respectively, which has begun the process of turning around the decline. The Queensland Government has since replaced the IPA with the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Qld) which provides opportunities for further strengthening of institutional arrangements to protect cassowaries and their habitat. Nevertheless, cassowary deaths from traffic strike and dog attacks continue to alarm the community. Protection and restoration of cassowary habitat is urgently needed. The Action Plan provides a vital opportunity for strong innovative partnerships between community, industry and government to achieve this important goal. This document presents the Strategic Framework for the Action Plan. The Action Plan is a living web-based document (www.terrain.org.au/missionbeach).

Item ID:	15311
Item Type:	Report (Report)
Additional Information:	Coordinated community, industry and government action for conserving the natural, cultural and lifestyle values of Mission Beach
Date Deposited:	18 May 2011 04:11
FoR Codes:	05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity @ 50% 05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050209 Natural Resource Management @ 50%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9606 Environmental and Natural Resource Evaluation > 960609 Sustainability Indicators @ 100%
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