2021 North Qld Threatened Species Symposium

The 2021 North Queensland Threatened Species Symposium this week in Cairns was a sell-out success with over 150 people attending including: the Threatened Species Commissioner, Dr Sally Box, all levels of government, the community, NGOs, Traditional Owners, Indigenous Rangers, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, research organisations, recovery teams, universities and the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Threatened Species Hub. 

The objective of the Symposium was to increase knowledge exchange and collaboration between organisations and individuals working to conserve threatened species and ecological communities in Northern Queensland. With 188 threatened species and 4 threatened ecological communities across the North Queensland NRM Alliance regions, this represents a major challenge. 
Presentations and workshop themes were diverse, covering: Challenges and Opportunities for NQ Threatened Species Recovery, Threatened Species Management & Recovery Planning, Community and First Nations Engagement, Policy and Planning, Habitat Management and Research Opportunities.

The Chair of the North Queensland NRM Alliance, Emma Jackson, said that many of the region's threatened plant and animal species are endemic to north Queensland. 

“This is not just about wanting to save our favourite animals,’’ she said. “Biodiversity is also the basic foundation for life—it’s what makes the earth habitable. Each individual species has a role to play in the ecosystems that we depend on for clean air, food and water.”

A primary take-away from the two-day event was the importance of including Indigenous TOs right from the start of endangered species rehabilitation projects.

The North Queensland Threatened Species Symposium is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and National Environmental Science Program. It is being delivered by the NQ NRM Alliance and the Threatened Species Hub and sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, South Endeavour Trust, Bush Heritage and the Wet Tropics Management Authority.