BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026
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Connected corridors and urban green space
Our region is managed for residential lifestyles which are integrated with, and sensitive to, the natural environment. Our community wants to improve this by creating more natural links between urban green spaces and within agricultural land, identifying biodiversity hot spots, enhancing habitat and riparian corridors, and protecting intact coastal foreshores. The integrity of our coastline is important to protect against storm surges, waves, wind and overland flows, which may require sand and vegetation restoration works.
TOWNSVILLE COASTAL PLAINS & OFFSHORE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES
Community education and partnerships for transformation
We want to see more opportunities for the community, including the Indigenous community, to care for and access country, and make a difference for biodiversity conservation. Some people think our environmental problems are being taken care of, but we need large-scale transformational changes, rather than more of the same on-ground activities. We need access to accurate scientific information, and better, more targeted communication and education. We will try to achieve this by building on partnerships between individuals and community groups with local councils, the relevant State departments that are consolidated in our region, industry, and research organisations.
Catchment to reef water management
Our community sees water as the most valuable natural asset and we need to take a holistic view on how it is managed to protect the quality of water entering the GBR. Working with stakeholders across our region and with our neighbours, we will strive to collaboratively manage our waterways for low impact use, and diligently control sediments, nutrients and pest aquatic species.
Strong governance
Strong governance arrangements are needed for successful regional NRM, including a more‘ bottom-up’ and transparent approach. Our community will celebrate our successes, while implementing strategies to maintain volunteers, skills and funding. We need to find community champions who are strong voices for the environment, and ensure that we acknowledge competing stakeholder interests, while achieving successful social, economic and environmental outcomes.
TOWNSVILLE COASTAL PLAINS & OFFSHORE