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Reef day for youth

Young volunteers experienced a particularly hands-on lesson in marine biology when they were taken out to the Great Barrier Reef this month under the Community Action Plan (CAP) program. 

Teenagers on a boat travelling to the reef

Organised by Cape York NRM’s project officer (and resident marine biologist) Ben Ansell, who teamed up with the Cooktown Dive Club, the field trip went out to the Cowlishore Reef on March 11.

“I believe to inspire young people to get involved in conservation work and cultivating future projects, you have to provide opportunities to show them what they are protecting and why it's worth it,” Ben said. 

The Reef group spent the day snorkeling in the morning, followed by a discussion of marine protection careers and opportunities as well as brainstorming new projects to protect the Reef. An afternoon snorkel closed out the day.

The CAP program was developed in 2020 with Cape York NRM and South Cape York Catchments to get the community together to discuss the Reef, their concerns and what could be done to improve it’s future. 

Key issues were climate change, tourism and increased recreational pressures. Out of community discussions came the Cape York Reef Community Action Plan which outlined a number of strategies for community action. A key tenet of the plan was to engage with young people. 

Already the CAP has delivered beach clean-ups, school field trips, turtle nesting protection activities and a cultural heritage protection project.

“The Reef trip was a great day and really gave the young people a lot to think about,” Ben said. 

“Opportunities we discussed included becoming part of volunteer programs, or taking advantage of the certificate training at TAFE, such as a Coxswains ticket, and divemaster internships. They also came up with some new project ideas for the CAP program, such as creating roadmaps for a more effective recycling system, more cleaning of local beaches (Walker Bay), waterfalls (Isabella Falls), and islands (Lizard Island) across the Cape - which fit in well with the CAP projects goals of Reef Protection.”

The Cape York Reef Action Plan is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and delivered by Cape York NRM with support from South Cape York Catchments.