Water on Cape York is a highly valued natural resource. This newsletter highlights some of the ways that people on Cape York are taking care of it.
Over the past 200 years Australia's biodiversity has declined fastest than any other country. Cape York has over 100 species that are listed as threatened, vulnerable or endangered on the Nature Conservation Act (1992).
The Cape York landscape is grounded with ancient and fragile soils, which require careful management to ensure long term health of the land and to maintain our water quality across Cape York for the generations to come.
This study was undertaken between July 1994 and Janurary 1995 as a project within the Land use Program of CYPLUS.
Regolith within the CYPLUS area in North Queensland consists both of 'in situ' weathered beardock and transported minerals.
This report focuses on areas within the CYPLUS region regarded as having moderate to high mineral potentional and is provided as a non technical document to assist land use planers and those lacking a background in earth sciences.
Prior to the execution of this project regional stakeholders and industry representatives expressed differing opinions concerining the development potential of other agricultural industries within the CYPLUS area.
Despite ongoing harsdhip and difficult working conditions there was a strong desire by cattlemen and their families to persevere wth the beef industry as independent produers free of government support and unnecessary regulations.
This project evaluated land degradationin terms of soil erosion and soil salinity. Soil erosion was examined by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Geological Survey Organisation with assistance from the Bureau of Resource Science.
The study area of this report covered some 143,000 square kilometre, and is remote and isolated from all Australian population cenrs. This area includes Cape York Peninsula from north of Cooktown and some selected areas of the Torres Strait Islands. The area had a small population of approximately 10,000 (1986)