Health check for Cook Shire Council coastal reserves

A  survey of coastal reserves surrounding Cooktown at Quarantine Bay, Finch Bay and Cherry Tree Bay will provide important records for national data on the ecological health of the region. 

The surveys, conducted on 17-21 of April by plant ecologist Dr James Hill and Cooktown Botanic Garden’s Curator Peter Symes, were developed by Cape York NRM with consultation with the Council.

“The Cook Shire Council Area Reserves Littoral Rainforest Surveys Project targeted places that see a lot of visitors, and in the case of Quarantine Bay, is near a residential area, so we wanted to assess the risk of weed infestation, litter and firewood harvesting, as well as indications of sea level rise,” Cape York NRM Project Officer Dr James Dobson said.

“We also know Atlas of Living Australia and Qld herbarium records are poor for these areas, so we surveyed the vegetation community at the three sites for previously unrecorded species, collected voucher specimens of native plants and weeds for the herbarium, ground-truthed the regional ecosystem mapping, recorded threatened species, and recorded potential threats to the ecological community.”

Littoral Rainforests are closed forest ecological communities identified by their close proximity to the ocean (generally less than 2km) and closed canopy (70% of the sky obscured by tree leaves and limbs). Vegetation structure can range from low thickets in wind exposed environments to tall forest in more protected sites. They act as an important buffer for inland landscapes.

James said preliminary data showed the reserves were in reasonably good health with some weed infestation, particularly at Finch Bay,

“We also have concerns about coastal erosion at Quarantine Bay,” James said. “It's clear with every spring/king tide each year more beach is being taken away with exposed tree roots and some recent trees falling evident.”

Peter said that these surveys were most appreciated by Cook Shire Council to better safeguard remnant vegetation.

“These surveys provide an important window in time to assess the current ecological health of these unique plant communities,” he said. “We look forward to developing strong collaboration between stakeholders to safeguard the unparalleled natural landscapes of Cook Shire and the Cape York Peninsula.”

A report is being prepared by Dr Hill.

The project was delivered by Cape York NRM through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.