Up to $16m to Protect the Far North’s natural resources

Cassowaries and the endangered Golden-Shouldered Parrot are among the winners in a $16 million investment for Far North Queensland.

The Australian Government has invested in eight Far Northern projects to protect threatened species, help recover vulnerable ecological communities and improve the quality of soil on farm production land, as part of its nationwide Regional Land Partnerships (RLP) program.

Cape York NRM, Terrain NRM and Northern Gulf Resource Management Group, working together as the NQ NRM Alliance, will deliver the program from Ingham in the south to the tip of Cape York and out west to Karumba. 

The investment will fund five biodiversity projects focused on protecting rainforest, woodlands and coastal vine thickets as well as cassowaries and the golden shouldered parrot. It will also support the organisations to work with farmers across Far North Queensland over the next five years to deliver initiatives aimed at boosting farm productivity while improving habitat for native animals. These projects will tackle issues such as hillslope erosion and soil acidification, while providing workshops and programs to build farmer knowledge about soil management. 

Keith Noble, Chair of NQ NRM Alliance welcomed the investment and said the partnership model for delivering the project in the Far North was blazing a trail for natural resource management in Australia.

“We are at the leading edge in this country in terms of how we are working together to maximise our efficiencies and share knowledge and resources,” he said.

“This is our first successful major funding bid since we formed our alliance in early 2018, and we’re excited that the Australian Government has recognised how our partnership approach has the potential to maximise impact for the benefit of our natural resources.”

Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said it was important to protect the unique environment of Far North Queensland.

“It is terrific news that the three NRM bodies across the region are working together to maximise the Government’s investment in our environment and I am excited that NQ NRM will be working with community partners to deliver these eight RLP projects to protect some of our most critical natural assets,” he said.

“This work will support local livelihoods across the Far North, increase our knowledge of key threatened species and improve farming practices.”