- WWF’s Reef and Rangeland team has been travelling throughout North Queensland, building relationships with the tourism industry, innovative farmers and the Natural Resource Management sector. Latest figures published by Access Economics indicate the Great Barrier Reef contributes at least $5.4 billion to the Australian economy each year - approximately 94 per cent of which is attributable to the tourism industry. Nick Heath, WWF’s Water Program Leader, is particularly interested in the tourism industry’s growing desire to engage with the local Indigenous community in developing joint cultural and conservation initiatives
- The Australian Workers Union (AWU) which represents wildlife rangers recently came out in support of Dr Martin Taylor, WWF’s Protected Areas Manager, who called on the Queensland Government to properly resource Australia’s national parks system
- Piet Filet, WWF’s Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Manager, recently spoke at the Queensland Farmers Federation Sustainable Agriculture Forum regarding the conservation benefits of sustainable agriculture
- Members of WWF’s Queensland team were involved in helping Indigenous groups in the Gulf of Carpentaria release a rehabilitated turtle back into the wild. The critically injured turtle - nicknamed Jewel - was rescued by Napranum Council rangers as part of the Carpentaria Ghost Nets Program. The turtle was lovingly cared for and nurtured back to health by members of the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Clinic. She was released back into the Gulf with a satellite tracker attached. WWF adviser Colin Ford was involved in organising the logistics of the project, with WWF’s Conservation on Country Manager Cliff Cobbo joining him to witness the release. The group’s turtle release gained state-wide media exposure when WWF ambassador and roving reporter David Whitehill attended to film the release. Click here to find out more about the Carpentaria Ghost Net Program (http://www.ghostnets.com.au/)
- More than two thousand hectares of globally important remnant bushland around Newdegate, WA will receive long-term conservation protection. Read about WWF and Newdegate farmers work in a recent article in the Avon Catchment Council newsletter. (It’s the very first article of the newsletter.)
Posted in All, News.
Tagged with conservation.
By WWF-Australia
– September 1, 2009
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