Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Land Degradation in Cape York Peninsula

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. This study utilised previously collected data under the CYPLUS Natural Resources Analyisis Program to identify where erosion had believed to have been accelerated by human activity.
This report had concluded that water and wind erosion are natural features of some areas of the Cape York Peninsula such as the Mitchell Landscape. The Hodgkinson landscape was indentified to contain numerous extremely erodible soils and that human activities have increased the levels of erosion in these areas.
This study culminated in a map of water erosin for Cape York Penisula. This map suggested a gradient from high to low travelling east to west reflecting the gradient of the amount of rainfall. The erosion hazard for the majority of the CYPLUS area was reported as low to very low due to the permeability of sandy soils.
Naturally occuring salinity data was assessed by the Queensland Department of Primary industries with areas of naturally high salinity measured and their distribution mapped. Many areas of high salinty were reported as undergoing changes in the hydrological regime such as forest clearing. The report found that soils associated with teh Rolling Downs Group contain low levels of salt and thus have a significant potential for agricultural development. However it was also identified that development such as tree clearing and irrigation cold result in a mobilisation of salts and subsequent soil salinisation.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Land Tenure Systems and Issues of Cape York Peninsula

The CYPLUS Land Tenure project was designed in order to provide information to the Land Use Program on the tenure types and bondaries, and the restrictions they have on land use. It was considered necessary to know and understand the traditional titles, interests, and associations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the land.
The desired outputs of this report were a GIS layer showing all tenure types and marine zoning systems, a statement of issues on land tenure and a regional assesment of the extent of native title, and finally a Department of Lands' policy paper on the nature, purpose and administration of then current land tenures on teh Cape York Peninsula

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Strategy Models

This project report was commissioned by CYPLUS to evaluate and compare different stratiegies for land use on the Cape York Peninsula on a variety of fronts. The report compares the Ecologically Sustainable Development model, the Economically Sustainable Development model, the Catchment Management Model, the Regional Planning Models, the Integrated Regional Environmental Development Planning Model, the Performance Based Planning Model, the Indigineous Participation Models, and the Community Based Management Models. These models were evaluated on their origins, principles, structure anc content, their status within government, their implementation status, interrelated concepts and models, the model's strengths and weaknesses, and its implications for the Cape York Peninsula and these are compared in the final section of the report.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Management of Pastoral Holdings Cape York Peninsula

The aim of this study was to describe and assess the pastoral industry of the Cape York Peninsula in terms of its [then] current operations and land management as well as to provide an analysis of [then] existing and potential land tenure for pastoral uses.
The preferred production system of the Department of Lands at the time was one which suited the lessees financial position, skills and personal preference all while adhering to the policy regarding land sustainability, the living area concept, and maximising economic production while staying within environmental safety limits.
As part of this study 26 country type classifications were created and the the potential cattle carrying capacity for each was calculated. The assessed carrying capacities were considered to be low, implying that there ad been little development in the pastoral industry and that the potential for development was insiginifcant. [Then] recent developments in pasture technology, nutritional supplementation, and herd management techniques meant that the carrying capacity had increased and thus a reassessment was necessary. The report highlighted that futher research into the location of infrastructure improvements on grazing leases was required to assist in land use planning for the pastoral industry.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Natural Resource Analysis Program: Marine Vegetation of Cape York Peninsula

As part of the Natural Resources Aalysis Prgoram the Fisheries Division of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries mapped the marine vegetation (mangroves and seagrasses) for Cape York Peninsula from July 1992 to June 1994 with field work undertakein in November 1992, May 1993, and April 1994.

The data set was applied to the Fisheries Reserves planning and a preliminary assesment was made on the marine vegetation communities within [then] current wildlife reserves as well as identifying communities which are not within said reserves. The project found the the boundaries of Fishing Reserves should be reassesed, that several regions should be investigated for their potential as Fisheries Reserves, that satellite remote sensing and GIS technology continue to be used as a cost effective tool for mapping and monitoring, that for large projects cooperation between agencies is continued to be sought for the sharing of data, and that during the land sue planning process areas of marine vegetation are recognised as wetland habitats of importance to fisheries.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Natural Resource Analysis Program: Mineral Resource Inventory of Cape York Peninsula

As part of the Natural Resources Analysis program the Geological Survey Division of the Queensland Department of Minerals and Energy compiled a database of known mineralisation within the CYPLUS area in order to update and expand then current knowledge of the bedrock geology, regolith, geochemistry, coastal geology, and geophyisics of the region.

The CYPLUS area was reported to contain significant resources of bauxite, kalin, and silica sand with a high potential for the discovery of gold, tin, tungsten, coal,limestone, and heavy minerals. The area is also known to contain resources of iron, manganese, antimony, and base metals such as copper lead and zinc with some potential for the discovery of gemstones such as diamonds and saphires and a crude oil. There are also areas of note with significant groundwater reserves.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Pastoral Industry of Cape York Peninsula

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.

Numerous groups within the Aboriginal community were identified as holding aspirations of participiating in their pastoral industry on multiple levels. The threat of introduced pasture species becoming serious weeds and threatening regional biodiversity was regarded as a serious concern by environmentalists. This report analyses and evaluates the pastoral industry within the Cape York Peninsula in 1994 on its aspirations, constraints and potential, possibilites for economic performance, cultural and environmental impacts, and investigates the principals and guidliens for a proposed pastoral land use strategy.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Other Primary Industries (Non-Pastoral, Non-Forestry) of Cape York Peninsula

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. One major limitation to development that was highlighted was the cost associated with initiating a new agricultural ventureas well as production competitiveness with other already operating businesses. It was also reported that at the time the majority of Cape York's occupants.

The report identified that there were multiple possibilities for the development of sustinence horticultural operations by some of the Cape York Peninsula's aboriginal communitie. Soil types in the CYPLUS area were found to be generally low in nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen and thus the majority of soils were found to not sustain nutrient levels adequate for cropping.

At the time Cape York Peninsula was utlilised as a buffer zone between Papua New Ginuea and Auastralia's already established horticultural areas with government policy to maintain Cape Yorks buffering capabilities making hortcultural devlopment not a priority for the region.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Land Use Program: Minerals Assessment of Cape York Peninsula

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.

A qualitative assesment of the mineral resource potential of each region was create combinging knowledge of its geology, geophysics, geochemistry, mineral deposits, and mineral occurences. It should be noted that the assessment of the mineral potential of an area applies to the forseeable future (approximately 20 years ahead) and should be regarded as a "once and for all time" process.

Access for geoscientific investigation and ongoing exploration was required to ensre that assesmens of mineral resource potential are maintained to an adequate level.

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Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy: Natural Resources Analysis Program: Regolith-Terrain Mapping of Cape York Peninsula

Regolith within the CYPLUS area in North Queensland consists both of 'in situ' weathered beardock and transported minerals. In situ weathered bedrock refers to deep weathering profiles with bauxitic or ferruginous durcrusts, mottled zones, and pallid zones as well as residual sand over weathered saprolite in areas of low geomprohic activity. It also incoudes thin soils lying directly on bedrock. Transported regolith incldues large areas of alluviam, narrow strips of alluvium, coastal sediments and small areas of colluvium between steeper hill slopes.

This report provided a Regolith-Landorm map to be used by various organisations with regard to land use strategy and plan development. The area was divided into regolith-landform units which were mapped using a comination of 1:80,000 panchromatic aerial photography (1970) 1:50,000 colour aerial photography (1990) as well as Landsat TM image data, airborne magnetic and gamma ray spectrmetric image data, and field work carried out over a period between 1992 to 1994 by the Australian Geological Surey Organisation.

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