In brief - Issue 34

QPWS staff have made improvements to their croc management team, with an extra nine people now trained with high-level skills in crocodile-catching operations.

There are now 13 staff with the skills to lead croc catching, and another 54 staff trained to assist – a total of 67 QPWS staff with skills in crocodile capture and restraint.

Eleven QPWS staff completed a course held at Lakefield National Park late last year, where they were taught to safely lead a team to capture, process and release estuarine and freshwater crocodiles.

Manager of the Conservation Services Unit, North Queensland, Dr Mark Read said this upskilling is an excellent result, with rangers now covering Rockhampton to Cape York.

“Until recently we had only four specialists, all based in Cairns or Townsville, with enough experience to lead QPWS teams in the very dangerous business of catching crocodiles,” Mark said.

“Put simply, these four were stretched a bit thin. We had a pool of rangers with the skills to set traps or safely jump on a crocodile’s back but not enough leaders. Queensland is now well placed to deal with problem crocodiles,” he said.

Sustainability in the spotlight at recent Cairns’ event

The challenge has been set for builders in Far North Queensland to design housing developments which save water and energy.

Over 150 builders, developers, local government representatives and environmental consultants attended the first Australian Green Development Forum seminar, “The Business of Sustainable Development”, in Cairns on 28 February.

The group discussed strategies for incorporating sustainable practices in their own developments, and the opportunities arising from changes to building codes that came into effect on March 1 requiring all new Queensland houses to include sustainable features to save water and energy.

Click here to download the presentation from keynote speaker Gary Lawrence, United States Urban Strategist.

Update on the Currawinya bilby success

In December 2005, four captive-bred bilbies were released into a special 20sq-km enclosure at Currawinya National Park in south-west Queensland as part of the “Save the Bilby” appeal. The bilbies were released with radio collars to track their progress in adapting to the new conditions. All reports indicate that they are doing extremely well, happily digging burrows and eating natural foods such as insects and seeds.

Because of the success of this initial phase of the program, a series of staged releases of more captive-bred bilbies is now being planned.

Queenslanders recycle litter "mountain"

Queenslanders recycled 11,000 more tonnes of materials in the 2003-04 financial year than in the previous year, lifting recycling from 158,000 tonnes to 169,000 tonnes, according to the EPA’s annual report into the state’s waste and recycling. The report showed that through the year, the average Queenslander generated 186.8kg of domestic paper, 34.9kg glass, 32.1kg newsprint and 10.3kg steel cans – which is a mountain of litter!

Overall, the data indicates that even though a significant amount of waste in Queensland is recovered, more waste is sent to landfill than is recovered.

How can you help? Follow the three simple steps of: Reduce, re-use and recycle!

• Minimise your waste - buy products with minimal packaging, or that use recycled or recyclable packaging
• Re-use containers, packaging or waste products.
• Recycle all materials through your local council’s system. Check with your council as to what can and can’t be recycled, if you’re unsure.

EPA celebrates International Year of the Turtle

During February, the EPA and Environment Minister Desley Boyle launched International Year of the Turtle activities in Bundaberg at an evening inspection of Mon Repos Conservation Park, the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the south Pacific Ocean. At the launch the minister and guests helped release a clutch of endangered loggerhead turtle hatchlings on the beach and listened to information from experts on the threats facing turtles and actions the community can take to help reduce its impact on marine wildlife.

The Year of the Turtle has been declared for 2006 by a majority of countries in the Indian Ocean and south-east Asia region, including Australia, and encourages all involved to help increase public awareness and understanding of the threats faced by marine turtles.

The loggerhead turtle is threatened or endangered in many parts of the world and has declined by 86 per cent over the last 30 years in Queensland. Destruction of nesting and feeding habitats, predation by foxes and feral cats, and incidental mortality in fishing operations has been partly responsible for this decline. Climate change is a new emerging threat, as temperature during the egg incubation process determines the sex of the turtle.