22 June
2006 - Australian and Queensland Government Ministers
today announced a total of $1,745,000 in Natural
Heritage Trust (NHT) funding for the Cape York
region.
Most of the funding will be
delivered through the Cape York Peninsula Development
Association (CYPDA).
Australian Government Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said the funding
would allow existing programmes to continue, such
as fire management and weed and feral animal control,
as well as directing investment to some new initiatives.
“An investment of $580,000 will
support an extension of pest management training
and strategic control activities, and a vehicle
wash down facility will be constructed at a cost
of some $250,000 to reduce the spread of weeds
in the Peninsula,” Senator Campbell said.
“Additionally, $150,000 will
fund an integrated turtle management and protection
programme in Western Cape York. This will involve
local Aboriginal communities in protecting turtle
nesting sites and the targeting of feral pigs
which dig up nests to rob turtle eggs,” he said.
Australian Government Minister for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said fire
management was a critical component of the funding
package.
“Some $310,000 will fund fire
management training and the development of property
fire plans, and the impact of fire on the Peninsula
will be assessed.
“This will help develop best
practice fire management,” Mr McGauran said.
“Uncontrolled fires cause severe property and
environmental damage.
“A further $230,000 will be
invested to augment the fire warning infrastructure
in the Peninsula by building extra UHF communications
towers,” he said.
Queensland Minister for Natural
Resources, Mines and Water, Henry Palaszczuk,
said the NHT funding would be matched by in-kind
support from the Queensland Government.
“Cape York presents special
challenges in the management of natural resources,
particularly given the isolated nature of many
of the population centres. We are committed to
supporting effective management action at the
local level, in particular engaging Indigenous
communities in the work,” Mr Palaszczuk said.
Queensland Minister for the Environment, Desley
Boyle, said Cape York’s unique biodiversity assets
made the region a high priority for investment.
“We are actively managing natural
habitats to protect them,” Ms Boyle said. “For
example, using fire effectively by burning in
patches in a planned way rather than allowing
uncontrolled wildfires is essential in maintaining
Cape York’s important natural assets,” Ms Boyle
said.
Cape York Peninsula is one of
the 14 natural resource management regions in
Queensland created to deliver major government
environmental and sustainable agriculture programmes.
Its outstanding natural assets have been long
recognised.
The remoteness of the Peninsula
and its small, dispersed population centres make
it unique amongst other regions in Queensland.
The Cape region covers an area
of approximately 137,000 square kilometres. Land
uses include broad acre pastoralism, bauxite and
silica sand mining, nature reserves, tourism and
fishing.
Land is also dedicated to national
parks and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
use. Roughly 700 kilometres of land along the
west coast of the Cape is predominantly Aboriginal
lands, reserves and mines. Most of the pastoral
leases occupy the centre of the region as well
as locations on the east coast.
A full list of activities funded under the Natural
Heritage Trust for 2006-07 is attached.
Marianne McCabe (Senator Campbell)
